Muthanna Faiq Marei – Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the College of Political Science – University of Tikrit
There is no doubt that the idea of international gatherings and forums is not a new idea to strengthen relations and unify positions between countries. Rather, it can be considered one of the manifestations of international organizations that have been established within the framework of international relations for decades and have taken many forms, whether at the regional or international level.
International groupings and organizations often arise according to many common considerations, especially those of value, interest, or both. Global organizations emerged and developed, such as the United Nations with its various agencies, continental organizations or groupings such as the African Union and the European Union, and regional organizations such as the League of Arab States, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, and others.
The international arena has also known another way to organize relations and unify positions and foreign policies, represented by the formation and establishment of international groups, whose members share a set of interests, values, and goals, such as the Group of Twenty, the BRICS Group, and then the Group of Seven (G7) that was founded in the seventies; To represent an international gathering of the “economically strongest democratic countries” in the world. This group has positions and policies on many global issues and challenges, which it announces through the mechanism of the periodic “summits” that it holds annually. Its last summit was held in the German state of Bavaria at the end of June 2022 and included a discussion of many global issues, topped by the Russian war on Ukraine, and then the announcement of the “Partnership Initiative for Global Infrastructure and Investment” and other issues.
Many questions come to mind when talking about the orientations of the Group of Seven countries, and the announcement of their initiative for global partnership at this time, and these questions include:
- What is the Group of Seven (G7) and who are its members?
- What did the last G7 summit in Bavaria, Germany, adopt from the contents and issues?
- What is the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment Initiative?
- Is this initiative part of the international confrontation with China?
All these questions can be answered by studying the topic, and its contents as follows:
First – The emergence and development of the Group of Seven:
The Group of Seven, known as “G7”, represents an international forum or gathering of the seven largest countries, in terms of democracy, and their industrial and economic development in the world. It includes the United States of America, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, and hosts the European Union as a permanent guest for its periodic meetings. The population of the member states of the group constitutes 10% of the world’s population, and the size of its national income represents nearly 45% of the world’s total national income.
