The G7 has returned to being a gentlemen's club

Photo by Vladislav Klapin on Unsplash

Today, leaders of some of the world’s biggest economies get together in the Bavarian Alps. This Group of Seven (G7) summit comes after events have moved swiftly apace, notably with Russia invading Ukraine, triggering key economic, geopolitical and humanitarian developments.

Borrowing from Bloomberg’s list of the bespoke challenges faced by each G-7 leader, here’s a thumbnail sketch of the headaches particular to each man (please note, with Angela Merkel gone, the G7 has returned to being a male bastion; Ursula von der Leyen’s attendance at one of the summits signifies little because she merely represents a non-member, the European Commission).

** Joe Biden, USA

Needs to deal with high pump prices, which mean his governing Democrats have a difficult job ahead of November’s midterm elections.

** Emmanuel Macron, France

Needs to find a way to legislatively co-habit with other big forces in parliament in order to get anything at all done.

** Olaf Scholz, Ger…