A few days had passed since August 15, when the Taliban entered Kabul, when Draghi, stunned like the entire European leadership, by the worsening of the situation in Afghanistan, announced an extraordinary G20 on the conditions of that country.
Open heaven, for politicians, information, diplomats interested and so on, a competition was opened on rhetoric, on the lack of understanding of international scenarios and, in many cases, on a real flattery, such as to be confused with banal nationalism and even more with an indecipherable sovereignty.
The titles:
An extraordinary G20, opportunities and challenges. From Merkel to Putin, what Draghi’s interventionism is aiming at. For Draghi an increasingly central role in Europe. The weakness of France and Germany and greater leadership for Italy. Draghi has repeated on several occasions that the future of Europe depends on Italy. What is already evident today is the central role assumed by the Italian premier. Afghanistan, axis between Draghi and Putin. Italy’s move and Draghi’s broad dialogue.
In short, our Prime Minister quickly recognized as a leader beyond Europe.
It was only a question of identifying a date: immediately, before the United Nations General Assembly scheduled for 20 September or following it; it wasn’t a big problem explained diplomats inside Palazzo Chigi, each of the three hypotheses offered opportunities. In the first two cases, the Italian initiative would have been a viaticum for the work of the UN; in the third it could act as a moment of summarizing and therefore coordinating the results obtained in New York. And then, even with a favorable timing, in all cases, the Draghian intuition could not fail to result in a significant and prestigious diplomatic success.
After taking the inevitable positive outcome for granted, we came to hypothesize the granting of an authority to Italy to coordinate a contact group, between countries expressing concern about the future of Afghanistan, and to hold an international conference. despite the incomprehensible therapeutic inclusiveness of the G20, evoked by the diplomats of the palace, and the tiring diplomatic tours set up by the Farnesina for the Metternich of Pomigliano d’Arco, the much acclaimed appointment proved to be devoid of strategy and such modesty to verge on anonymity. By manipulating the persuasive Socratic proverb it could be argued that it thundered so much that it did not rain. On 12 October it did not rain because Putin, Xi Jinping and Pakistan were missing from the meeting, that is, those directly affected, because it was also weakened by the United States, Germany and the EU which, in the same days, started talks with the Taliban in Doha. It did not rain because there was no trace of multilateralism, heavy absences, US approximation and divergent visions did not allow us to identify a shared strategy. After all, it had not rained even in New York at the UN General Assembly where the leaders who attended had participated. only at a festival of good intentions which, as we know, pave the way to hell.
It did not rain on 12 October on a virtual and hasty G20, which began at 13 and ended after a few hours. Of course, there have been results, the United Nations has been given a mandate to coordinate interventions centered on the need to respect women’s rights, on the fight against terrorism and on the humanitarian crisis for which the EU has announced an allocation of a billion, where the Italian information is divided if it is a question of euros or dollars, check is believe.
Let’s not insist on the evaluation of the event, let’s leave it to the Prime Minister: The extraordinary G20 a success, multilateralism is back! The absence of China and Russia was not linked to specific reasons, the involvement has been and has been continuous! and to Metternich of Pomigliano: We must finance the state without giving money to the Taliban.
A metabasis in the moment in which objectives and topics have changed quickly as happened between the announcement and the realization of the G20. Statesmen and political leaders cannot fail to have a strong diagnostic capacity that can guide them in expressing situational leadership, unless they allow themselves to be dazzled by a political politics and information capable of praising presumed successes, regardless of the effectiveness of the leadership.
Exactly as happened for the non-evaluation of the positions of China and Russia on the Afghan side, to which the menacing declaration of no compromise on reunification with Taiwan was added. With these premises, will it rain in Rome on October 30th?
* President of the Free Society
#Draghi #G20 #prime #ministers #interventionism #thundered #didnt #rain