Daily Times

Unlike his predecessor’s first trip to Europe, thus far, President Joe Biden’s performance and preparation deserve a gold star. Of course, the main event is the sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was just getting underway at the time of writing. But, as this column has observed, as long as that meeting does not repeat the Baked Alaska summit with China in Anchorage, it may be hailed as a success.

The highpoint of the trip so far was not the G-7 summit that in terms of bonhomie, if not content, went extremely well. It was the visit of the President and First Lady to Windsor Castle to see Queen Elizabeth II in all her pomp and circumstance; not overlooking the grandeur of the setting. When asked later of his impressions of the 95-year-old monarch, Biden’s response was brilliant in its simplicity: “She reminded me of my mother.”

The Queen has been called many things. When Donald Trump left Windsor after his visit, he told the escorting party that she was one of the most remarkable people he had ever met. No doubt that was not an uncommon reaction. However, I would take a very large bet that few before Biden made this comment. And I would also bet that his words secured the President and First Lady a place in the Queen’s heart.

Whether Biden has secured a place in the hearts of his G-7 colleagues is another matter. But the atmospherics could not have been better. It was self-evident from the videos and comments that the G-7 was unanimous in having America back and a president — as Margaret Thatcher once remarked about another leader — “with whom we can do business”.

Europeans can be accused of appeasement by one extreme and economic seduction by the other. Those are unfair allegations. During the Cold War, Europe showed better sense than America regarding Vietnam. ‘Old’ Europe also opposed the second Iraq war

That said, the G-7 meeting papered over a number of profound tensions and issues that remain unsettled. First, for all the picturesque settings of a gloriously beautiful part of England accompanied by splendid weather, the irony was both striking and hidden from view. Cornwall, on the southwest coast, is among the poorest shires in the land. Here, then, were the richest industrial nations in the world meeting amidst impoverished circumstances.

This metaphor applies to much of the world. Disparities in wealth are growing exacerbated by a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and extreme weather and environmental disasters. More people have died in 2021 than in 2020 from the global virus. And while, for the time being, most Americans are assuming that the worst of the pandemic is over and that life can return more or less to normal, those reactions may well be premature.

The G-7 promised a billion vaccines to be made available globally, a noble first step. Still, that is some ten billion or more short. And as President Biden warned in his press conference after the G-7 summit, the logistics of distribution and actually getting shots in arms are daunting.

The President did get a compromise on China and a commitment to human rights without condemning Beijing for its treatment of its Uighur population. That dilution has evoked criticism from both sides of the aisle at home. However, the Europeans have a more pragmatic and less ideological view of China than most Americans. Perhaps we should listen.

Regarding China, Europeans can be accused of appeasement by one extreme and economic seduction by the other. Those are unfair allegations. During the Cold War, Europe showed better sense than America regarding Vietnam. ‘Old’ Europe also opposed the second Iraq war and was correct in that judgment. Having a more tempered view of China is important. However, in Washington the only issue on which members of Congress seem to agree is that China is the main threat even though there is no consensus on what that threat exactly is.

One ticking time bomb that has not garnered the attention it needs is the Northern Ireland-EU border debate. With Brexit, the agreement between Whitehall and Brussels has been unsatisfactory to Belfast in terms of the customs border. Popular unrest in the North over its status is growing as it strongly favoured remaining in the EU. Concurrently, substantial pressure from Irish Republican political party Sinn Fein, which has always pushed for re-unification with the South, is mounting. A toxic mix.

The US and UK signed a new version of the 1941 Atlantic Charter originally agreed to by Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt, underscoring a revitalised if not “special” relationship. But the Northern Ireland issue could explode in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s face. If it does, Britain will have a political crisis on its hands that would surely undermine the Atlantic Alliance and more importantly its future.

Still, two and three-quarters cheers for the G-7 meeting.

Dr Harlan Ullman is Senior Advisor at Washington, DC’s Atlantic Council and UPI’s Arnaud de Borchgrave’s Distinguished Columnist. His latest book, ‘The Fifth Horseman and the New MAD: How Massive Attacks of Disruption Became Looming Existential Dangers to a Divided Nation and the World at Large’