Policy Brief 6/2018: The G20 is turning 20. Time to take stock of multilateralism

Summary:

International cooperation is under pressure: Populists in various countries are calling for a return to nationalism and withdrawal from international organizations. The Brexit campaign and calls for “America first!” are merely the best known examples. However, one does not sense among the people that the end of the era of multilateralism is imminent. Instead, the vast majority (83 percent) of people expect their governments to work together to solve global problems. In fact, they are even willing to push the interests of their own country onto the back burner if this kind of collaboration produces results that are good for everybody. By itself, no single state can solve the most pressing problems facing our interconnected world. Climate change, migration and (cyber-)terrorism: To find convincing responses to these and other problems, international organizations and collaboration are more important than ever.

While the idea of international cooperation is popular, there is only reluctant support for the way the G20 translates this idea into reality. Less than half of people (45 percent) have a favorable opinion of the G20. What’s more, the fact that many haven’t even formed an opinion of its work yet should come as no surprise, seeing that there isn’t much knowledge about, awareness of and public debate about the G20. Two findings clearly stand our here: First, President Trump is leading the United States away from multilateralism – with the support of his backers and the opposition of Democratic voters. And, second, the biggest supporters of international cooperation and the G20 are the so-called “winners” of globalization. There needs to be a more intense public debate about international organizations. And one more thing: Those who wish to strengthen multilateralism have to make globalization fairer – including for the current “losers” of globalization.

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