The LORD said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Genesis 4:10 NIV
Last Friday and Saturday 8–9 June 2018, the world were eye lids stretched to the limits as US President Donald Trump made one statement after another, that led ultimately to him storming out of the meeting whose communique he refused to sign.
The host, Canadian Premier Justin Trudeau made diplomatic but nonetheless unflattering comments of Mr. Trump; there’s even a picture of an angry German Chancellor Angela Merkle growling down at the US leader.
Among the rhetoric, causing alarm signals blaring, and stomachs churning, was that of Trump calling for the G-7 to become G-8 again by re-admitting Russia into the Group.
But coming out of the G-7 meeting brings warmth to many gender activists; this is the introduction of the Gender Equality Advisory Council.
According to a communique from the Summit, the Council for Canada’s G7 Presidency has the mandated to promote a transformative G7 agenda and support Leaders and ministers in ensuring that gender equality and gender-based analysis are integrated across all themes, activities, and outcomes of Canada’s G7 Presidency.
It will carry out its mandate by advising the G7 Presidency and recommending concrete actions for the G7 to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment across all areas of the G7’s work.
The five priority themes of Canada’s G7 Presidency will organize the Council’s work as follows:
1 Investing in growth that works for everyone
2 Preparing for jobs of the future
3 Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment
4 Working together on climate change, oceans, and clean energy
5 Building a more peaceful and secure world
C0-Chair Melinda Gates, Co-Chair Ambassador Isabelle Hudon, Dillon Black, Emma Bonino, Winnie Byanyima, Diane Elson, Rosemary Ganley, Leymah Gbowee, Dayle Haddon, Yoko Hayashi, Katja Iversen, Roberta Jamieson, Michael Kaufman, Farrah Khan, Isabelle Kocher, Christine Lagarde, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Maya Roy, Isabell Welpe, Christine Whitecross, and Malala Yousafzai.
Finally, women’s issues are invited to the negotiation tables with women and some men as lead discussants. Thank you, Premier Justin, for this grand leap frog into the future. This is what sustainable development looks like.
Getting back to Trump tales, the sharp shooter talking US President left the allies and on June 12 before the Summit ended, scooted off to the famous Singapore-based meeting with North Korean President, and dinner with Kim Jong-un, a man Trump, less than six months ago had called “Little Rocket man.”
Such a disparaging depiction of the far eastern dictator appear to have been clearly swept under the carpet as Kim and Trump appeared to faun over each other in a grand photo-opportunistic fashion; each leader obviously getting varying mileage for their own reasons.
In Canada, as the Summit was wrapping up, the G-7 leaders mouths were agape at the comradely between the leader of the free world, and a known dictator smiling at each other and exchanging pleasantries – a thing that was drastically absent with them.
In less than 24 hours, Trump did little more than throw sand dust into the eyes of G-7 allies during the annual meeting in Canada, and not only refused to sign the communique but also asked the Group to re-admit Russia into the G-7. The parade of Trump assaults was followed by calling Canadian Premiere Justin Trudeau a liar.
The optics are too much and read like a television thriller. The world order appears to have been turned upside down, a dictator elevated and the US moving from center stage. Neither leader would respond to whether nuclear disarmament was on the table during the discussions
Members of the G-7 are Canada, Italy, Germany, Japan, France, United Kingdom and United States. They represent 62 percent of the net worth of the world’s economy. The Group of 7 are the 7 largest economies in the world.
Together, the group has signed international agreements such as the Paris climate deal, and the Iran nuclear deal among others.
On second thoughts, maybe Mr. Trump was right in leaving his brood of friends and trekking off round the globe to the far east to meet with the Rocket man. The show of mutual affection may have as Trump announced upon his return to the US, the meeting may have brought us global peace. With it, there is no more threat of a nuclear attack from North Korea.
It is QED as we say in mathematics circles: Trump has met with Kim, so there is no longer the threat of a nuclear war.
This, of course has all historians flipping the pages back to 1938. British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, flew to meet Hitler at his private mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden to resolve the issue of three million Germans that were living in part of Czechoslovakia called the Sudetenland. After riots by the Germans, Hitler place German troops along the Czech border.
On 29 September, this time in Munich, Chamberlain secured an international agreement that allowed Hitler to have the Sudetenland in exchange for Germany making no further demands for land in Europe. Appeasement was hailed as the best solution for the European tyrant.
A jubilant Chamberlain landed in London with shouts of joy and “Peace for our time.”
On 1 October German troops occupied the Sudetenland.
Six months later, in March 1939, German troops took over the rest of Czechoslovakia.
And in September 1939 Hitler sent his soldiers into Poland. The same day, Britain declared war on Germany, and the start of World War II.
That’s history; for now, we have peace between North Korea and the US. And no threat of nuclear war. Well done Mr. Trump. But please next time, take witnesses with you. That’s the protocol.
In football circles God appears to be laughing all the way to sunset and sunrise. Wednesday June 13 was the official kick-off of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow, Russia.
On the foot heels of this happening, another blockbuster was the announcement on June 13 by FIFA President FIFA President Gianni Infantino, was the numbing revelations that the North American bid (made up of Canada, Mexico, and the United States) had secured votes to host the 2026 World Cup having been.
How awesome and hilarious this news is that? The three amigos (Canada, USA, and Mexico) united in their bit, and are united in their shared joy.
May the allies, women, enemies into friends and football (soccer) fanatics, energize the world in creating a free and safe world through their mandates, a world free of the threat of nuclear weapons.
