September 13, 2019

Russia cannot be allowed into a new G-8

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Once again U.S. President Donald Trump found himself at odds with other members of the G-7. And once again the root of the problem is his continued insistence on bringing Russia back to the fold in a reconstituted G-8.

Just as he was rebuffed when he first made the proposal prior to last year’s G-7 conference in Charlevoix, Canada, so he was again just prior to this year’s conference in Biarritz, France.

Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Canada all pointed out that Russia was expelled from the G-8 in 2014 because of its illegal annexation of Crimea and initiation of the separatist rebellion in the Donbas.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland put it very succinctly.

“Russia’s violation of international law in invading Crimea and annexing it, in continuing to support the war in the Donbas, is something we cannot allow to stand,” Ms. Freeland said, adding that if Moscow wants to rejoin the international delegation, it must end the war in the Donbas and leave Crimea.

If those conditions are met, “I think all of us would be delighted to welcome a Russia which sought again to be a member in good standing of our like-minded group of countries,” she said.

Actually, Ms. Freeland is being quite generous to the Kremlin in this instance because, even if by some miracle Russia decided to leave Crimea and stop the war in the Donbas, that country’s readmission to the G-7 would remain problematic.

For one thing, the G-7 was created as a forum of the world’s seven most advanced economies as defined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Russian Federation does not qualify today and did not qualify in 1998, when the G-7 was expanded to the G-8 in order to include Russia. But the rules were bent a bit because the G-7 wanted to give the Russian Federation a carrot in order to continue with Boris Yeltsin’s attempted economic and democratic reforms.

What’s more, the G-7 has now advanced from a mostly economic forum, to one which now espouses strict adherence to democratic values.

This was clear in the statement adopted by last year’s summit in Canada:

“We, the Leaders of the G-7, share common democratic values that are central to the development of free, open, well-governed, pluralistic and prosperous societies and recognize that equality is a core component of democracy. These democratic values are essential for generating broad-based economic growth that benefits everyone, creates quality jobs and ensures opportunities for all.

“Democracy and the rules-based international order are increasingly being challenged by authoritarianism and the defiance of international norms. In particular, foreign actors seek to undermine our democratic societies and institutions, our electoral processes, our sovereignty and our security. These malicious, multi-faceted and ever-evolving tactics constitute a serious strategic threat which we commit to confront together, working with other governments that share our democratic values. Defending democracy will require us to adopt a strategic approach that is consistent with universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, our international commitments to peace and security, and that promotes equality.”

Not only can the Russian Federation never be considered to “share common democratic values” with the West, the reference to “foreign actors (who) seek to undermine our democratic societies and institutions, our electoral processes, our sovereignty and our security (with) malicious, multi-faceted and ever-evolving tactics,” appears to be aimed directly at the Russians.

Unfortunately, not only has Mr. Trump indicated that he will definitely bring the question of Russia’s re-entry into the G-8 at next year’s summit, which he hosts under the terms of the rotating presidency, but he even wants to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the summit, which he hopes to hold at his own resort, the Trump National Doral Miami – at taxpayers’ expense, naturally.

No matter what the reason for Mr. Trump’s subservience to Vladimir Putin, the fact remains that containment of Russian imperial expansion has been the cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy since the end of World War II. And the president who was the most uncompromising when it came to containing Russian aggression was that icon of modern American conservatism, Ronald Reagan. All of which makes one wonder how people who consider themselves principled conservatives can continue to support Mr. Trump.

The fortunate thing is that the re-admission of Russia to a re-constituted G-8 requires the consensus of the current G-7 and Mr. Trump is unlikely to get it next year. Canadian policy, for one, will remain unchanged regardless of who wins next month’s election. And well it should. As long as Russia continues to commit aggression against its neighbors, seeks to undermine the democratic process of the G-7 states and trample on the human rights of its own citizens, there is no way it can be allowed to join the G-7.

 

Marco Levytsky may be contacted at [email protected].

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