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Inside This Weekend’s G-20 Summit

And what it might mean for Modi.

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People walk around a model of a globe.
People walk around a model of a globe.
Workers decorate a G-20 installation in New Delhi on Sept. 8. Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images

As global leaders convene in New Delhi for this weekend’s G-20 summit, we wanted to share our essential reads on the summit and how it might shape the future of foreign policy. The essays below examine whether the G-20 can revamp international finance to better support the global south, what Chinese President Xi Jinping’s absence reveals about Beijing’s politics, how Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used the G-20 presidency as a public relations tool, and more.—Chloe Hadavas

As global leaders convene in New Delhi for this weekend’s G-20 summit, we wanted to share our essential reads on the summit and how it might shape the future of foreign policy. The essays below examine whether the G-20 can revamp international finance to better support the global south, what Chinese President Xi Jinping’s absence reveals about Beijing’s politics, how Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used the G-20 presidency as a public relations tool, and more.—Chloe Hadavas

Three men wearing suits and ties sit at a table in front of a wall displaying the logo of the New Delhi G-20 summit, which stylizes the zero in G-20 as the globe. The man sitting in the middle has his mouth open as he speaks into a microphone.
Three men wearing suits and ties sit at a table in front of a wall displaying the logo of the New Delhi G-20 summit, which stylizes the zero in G-20 as the globe. The man sitting in the middle has his mouth open as he speaks into a microphone.

G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant (center) Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kawatra (left), and Indian Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth speak at a press conference ahead of the G-20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 8.Sanjeev Verma/Hindustan Times via Getty Images

Can the G-20 Be a Champion for the Global South?

At the New Delhi summit, the group needs to embrace new ideas and more inclusive leadership, Darren Walker writes.

A pedestrian walks past a G-20 summit logo along a street in New Delhi.
A pedestrian walks past a G-20 summit logo along a street in New Delhi.

A pedestrian walks past a G-20 summit logo along a street in New Delhi on Sept. 6.Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

Will India’s G-20 Summit Succeed?

New Delhi’s global clout and Modi’s personal brand are riding on the annual meeting, but consensus may prove elusive, FP’s Michael Kugelman writes.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, surrounded by flags of African countries, gestures as he speaks at the China-Africa Leaders' Roundtable Dialogue during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, surrounded by flags of African countries, gestures as he speaks at the China-Africa Leaders' Roundtable Dialogue during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at the China-Africa Leaders’ Roundtable Dialogue during the BRICS summit in Johannesburg on Aug. 24.Alet Pretorius/AFP via Getty Images

Xi Jinping Will Be a G-20 No-Show

The Chinese leader’s absence from the summit in New Delhi raises questions about political affairs in Beijing, FP’s James Palmer writes.

Bharatiya Janata Party supporters await the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai, India.
Bharatiya Janata Party supporters await the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai, India.

Bharatiya Janata Party supporters await the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai, India, on April 8.R.SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images

Modi’s Marketing Muscle

The prime minister has turned India’s G-20 leadership into a nonstop advertisement for its growing clout, Manjari Chatterjee Miller and Clare Harris write.

From left to right: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raise their arms as they pose for a group photograph at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 23.
From left to right: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raise their arms as they pose for a group photograph at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 23.

From left to right: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raise their arms as they pose for a group photograph at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 23.ALET PRETORIUS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

What Is America’s Nightmare Coalition?

Princeton University’s G. John Ikenberry discusses alliances and the new world order with FP’s Ravi Agrawal.

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Tags: Asia, G20, India, South Asia

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