Editor's note: Frida Ghitisis a former CNN producer and correspondent and a columnist on world affairs. She is a weekly opinion writer for CNN, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and a senior columnist for World Politics Review. The opinions expressed in this commentary are her own. Read more CNN Opinion.
CNN —
The annual G7 summit, bringing together the leaders of the world's richest democracies, was once a low-key, predictable affair: Like-minded leaders gathered in a usually picturesque location to fine-tune strategy, reaffirm shared values and deepen friendships.
A lot has changed since then, but one fascinating thing remains the same: the “family photo”: the sometimes awkward, often revealing images that offer a glimpse into the tensions hidden behind carefully choreographed events.
This year, as President Joe Biden arrives in Italy's charming Puglia region to meet with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom, as well as the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, and special guests such as Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, photos are expected to reveal subtle flaws in the event.
If family photo albums offer a glimpse into the twists and turns of private lives, G7 summits have produced historic photo collections, snapshots that tell the chronological story of Western democracies confronting challenges, even from within their own borders.
The 2024 summit will take place amid growing political turmoil, just days after European elections that have dealt serious political blows to centrist leaders in France and Germany and seen the rise of the far right. It will be interesting to see whether the images visualise new stresses.
Consider the past few years.
Tensions were poised to explode when G7 leaders met in Canada in 2018. They tried hard to appear relaxed in group photos, but the smiles must have crumbled when the shutter clicked. The summit was nothing short of a disaster. As disagreements over trade continued, then-US President Donald Trump tweeted insults at the host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Very dishonest and weak,” he blasted Trudeau in one of many tweets.
Cole Burston/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Behind the smiles and waving, tensions lurk at the 2018 G7 summit in Canada.
But perhaps most eloquently and most tellingly, the photo shows President Trump sitting with his arms folded while German Chancellor Angela Merkel stands in front of him, leaning on the American president with her hands on the table. Other world leaders surround them, hoping that Merkel will convince President Trump not to abandon the results of the meeting. And ultimately, he did.
Jesko Denzel/Bundesregielung/Getty Images
German Chancellor Angela Merkel held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the 2018 G7 Summit in Canada.
Trump refused to sign the traditional joint statement and left the summit before it ended.
After the 2018 disaster, the group decided to scrap the statement only in 2019, fearing that President Trump would stonewall it.
Three years ago, the contrast between the former and future US presidents could not have been starker. Among the iconic photographs is one in 2015 of then-US President Barack Obama sitting on a bench in the Bavarian Alps, arms outstretched before a breathtaking view, listening animatedly to Chancellor Merkel explain her views.
Michael Capeller/AFP/Getty Images
German Chancellor Angela Merkel appears relaxed during an outdoor chat with US President Barack Obama during the 2015 G7 summit in southern Germany.
Ten years ago, President George W. Bush gave Merkel an unsolicited back massage, which the chancellor didn't seem too pleased about: Comedians mocked Bush, but Merkel later told CNN it was “a kind act at the time” and a sign of friendship.
Surprisingly, the 2006 summit took place in St. Petersburg, Russia, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been invited to meet in what would become the G8 in 1997, during a period of post-Cold War optimism.
Handout/Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin drives U.S. President George W. Bush to a joint press conference at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg in 2006.
But that didn't last long. After Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Russia was suspended. The G8 reverted to the G7. (Trump tried to bring Putin back.)
The 2020 summit was supposed to take place in the United States. President Trump even suggested holding it at his golf club. The summit was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, a reminder that the unexpected can and does happen.
The following year brought one of the strangest family photos: the COVID-19 summit of 2021. The leaders stood a few feet apart, but the distance could not hide the relief of allies welcoming a change of leadership in Washington.
“America is back,” Biden told Europe and the world. (Macron reportedly responded, “We're back, but for how long?”) The warmth was clear in the images.
Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (centre) speaks during a socially distanced G7 family photo session in the UK in 2021.
The relief among allies reflected a broader sentiment: A Pew Research Center survey of 12 countries, including the G7, showed that confidence in U.S. leadership soared to 75% under Biden, from a median of 17% under Trump.
However, the euphoria of 2021 didn't last long.
In early 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This war is just one of the grave threats facing the G7 leaders, who came together in the belief that they would be more effective and more likely to succeed if they aligned their policies to support global prosperity and stability.
A few years before she left office, Merkel warned of dark forces on the rise, speaking out about growing support for the far-right and a surge in anti-Semitic incidents in Germany.
That feeling feels especially strong this week, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party whose members repeat Nazi slogans and have close ties to the Kremlin, came in second to the ruling coalition in Germany's European elections. The situation is similarly dire in France, where President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party suffered a major defeat at the hands of the far right, leading the president to dangerously call for early parliamentary elections.
And all of this is happening in the midst of one of the most important elections in American history that will have huge implications for our allies and the world. Some candidates have expressed admiration for dictators, said they would only be dictators on their first day in office, and shown little interest in nurturing relationships with our democratic allies.
Andrew Parsons/eyevine/i-Images/Redux
First Lady Melania Trump greets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with a kiss on the cheek before a group photo pose at the G7 summit in Biarritz.
Ironically, this year's summit is being hosted by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is basking in a string of successes that make Italy, with a history of unstable governments, appear to have one of the most stable governments in the G7.
Meloni, a former member of the Italian Brothers party, the successor to the original fascist parties, has pivoted to the center since taking office in 2022. Once a eurosceptic and admirer of Putin, Meloni now says the summit will focus on “defending the rules-based international system” and “Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.”
Ms Meloni remains staunchly right-wing and intent on steering Europe in a new direction, but so far her biggest fears as prime minister have not materialised.
As well as immigration – a top issue on the right's agenda – the G7 is also set to tackle other pressing issues such as conflict in the Middle East, the need to control artificial intelligence and climate change.
At the end, the leaders will demonstrate their agreement through a jointly signed statement and will share a warm handshake in complete unity.
But as with all summits, the deeper, more nuanced story of this G7 summit may come across most clearly not in the documents signed but in the awkwardly staged photographs of the men leading their nations.
