Editorial. G7 in Canada: How to calm the irascible Mr. Trump?

Do the G7 leaders still think they can govern the planet? Gathered in Canada, they will no doubt pretend to continue to believe so. Yet they know full well: the world is in shambles, and their role is limited to saving what can still be saved. Unable to stop Vladimir Putin in his mad goal of annexing Ukraine, the Seven also find themselves powerless in the face of missile exchanges between Israel and Iran. Watching a new conflict, the Western camp seems petrified by the stakes of this standoff. On the one hand, it is absolutely essential to prevent the odious regime in Tehran from mastering the bomb; on the other, Benjamin Netanyahu's brutal inclination to unleash hell against his neighbors worries even his closest allies.

The situation is all the more critical given that the G7 itself is experiencing unprecedented turbulence. This crisis has a name: Donald Trump. Inconsistent on global taxation, the President of the United States is also dangerously unpredictable in diplomatic matters. "The leader of the free world" has become a compulsive troublemaker on five continents. So, of course, six out of seven leaders remain to try to restore some calm and reason to the globe. And their efforts at appeasement will have to focus on the occupant of the White House. Despite his unreasonable and irascible side, he still holds the only two arguments likely to hold the world together: the monetary carrot and the military stick. Without American power and the benevolent inaction of China (which is not one of the "jet-settlers"), the others, including France, will continue to shout themselves hoarse to no avail. And here is the once triumphant West faced with an impossible choice: trust a pyromaniac firefighter or let the fire burn itself out in the hope, miraculously, of escaping the backfire.