EWC Research Speaker Series featuring Dr Victor Cha

Bending the Architecture: The Role of Asia in a Reformed G7

Amidst a world in turmoil, our traditional institutions of global governance are underperforming.  The UN is stymied by global power competition between permanent Security Council members. The G20 and BRICS are unable to reach consensus among developing economies. The WTO, now with 160 members, cannot find a path forward amidst the weaponization of economic interdependence. The G7 has emerged as the de facto institution of global governance, but it is badly in need of reform. G7 countries today represent a fraction of the global population and economy. Yet, the G7's mandate, as seen in Hiroshima and Puglia, has grown. This project brings new data and empirics to understand how a reimagined G7 with greater representation from Asia can fulfill its new role as a critical institution of global governance.