By Qamar Bashir
The 2025 G-20 Summit in South Africa will be remembered not only for the historic decisions taken, but equally for the loud, symbolic silence created by the absence of President Donald Trump and the United States’ high-level delegation. It was a vacuum that everyone felt, a political absence that lowered the temperature of the event, diminished its traditional stature, and yet, paradoxically, empowered the rest of the world to move forward without waiting for Washington’s approval. A gathering once shaped, dominated, and animated by American leadership unfolded without it — and the world did not stop. In fact, it moved with surprising confidence and determination, proving for the first time in decades that global cooperation no longer revolves around a single pole of power.
Trump’s official explanation for skipping the summit was both extraordinary and controversial. He alleged that South Africa was maltreating, harassing and killing its white population of Britain, France, Europe, and the United States origin,” and that the U.S. would therefore boycott the gathering in protest.
This justification stunned diplomats. The South African president and prime minister engaged in frantic outreach to convince Washington to participate at its traditional strength, but their efforts came to nothing. The United States remained absent, and the G-20 moved on. That moment alone signaled a shift: the world’s most influential economies were no longer willing to freeze or dilute their agenda because America chose not to show up.
In that vacuum, the G-20 delivered several major breakthroughs. Africa achieved its long-awaited elevation as a permanent force within the grouping. Its seat was strengthened with new mandates for development, debt restructuring, and large-scale infrastructure support — recognition that Africa is no longer a peripheral player but a central actor in the global economy. The summit also adopted the Global Debt Relief Framework 2.0, a comprehensive mechanism in which China, the United States (from the working-level side), and Europe aligned on a unified system for restructuring debt for developing nations. For the first time, the world’s largest creditors agreed on the principles of transparency, fair burden-sharing, and predictable timelines — a milestone that benefited dozens of struggling economies.
One of the most transformative decisions was the adoption of a global AI and digital governance pact. The world finally agreed on a shared code of conduct for artificial intelligence development, data transparency, cybersecurity protocols, and cross-border data flows. This was an agenda point expected to be heavily influenced by the United States, yet its absence did not hinder progress. The pact revealed a deeper truth: the world’s technological future no longer depends solely on Silicon Valley’s blessing. Beijing, Brussels, Pretoria, New Delhi, and Brasília demonstrated their ability to shape norms that will define the digital age.
Yet the most ambitious and visionary outcome was the creation of a $120 billion Green Energy Transition Fund. This fund aims to help developing and least-developed countries move away from fossil fuels and adopt solar, wind, hydrogen, and advanced battery-storage systems. It promises not only financing, but also technology transfer, expertise, and capacity building. The symbolism was profound: while Washington debates climate strategies through the prism of tariffs and industrial protection, the G-20 chose global environmental responsibility as a collective mission, marking a sharp contrast with America’s inward shift.
The summit also produced a roadmap to reduce global tariffs — a direct counterpoint to Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff wars. Leaders agreed that escalating tariffs undermine supply chains, inflate consumer prices, suffocate export markets, and weaken global economic stability. By committing to reduce trade barriers and revive the core principles of the World Trade Organization, the G-20 openly challenged the direction of U.S. trade policy and reaffirmed that globalization, though evolving, is far from dead.
Food security emerged as another defining pillar. The G-20 endorsed a multi-continental fertilizer and grain corridor network that would ensure developing nations have the ability not only to access essential agricultural inputs but also to build their own production capacity. The initiative aims to strengthen local seed development, introduce climate-resilient crops, and reduce dependency on vulnerable supply chains. It was a reminder that global hunger is not caused by scarcity, but by inequity, mismanagement, and geopolitics — and that collective action remains the only antidote.
Pandemic preparedness also received unprecedented attention. The G-20 agreed on a universal pathogen-sharing system, vaccine production guarantees for countries that cannot afford them, and the creation of global emergency stockpiles. COVID-19 had exposed the brutal reality that the world was divided between vaccine “haves” and “have-nots.” This summit promised not to repeat that inequality, committing to a global health shield that can activate instantly in the face of new threats.
Even tax justice — long a contentious issue — saw real progress. The G-20 endorsed a crackdown on tax evasion and illicit financial flows, expanding automatic exchange of banking data and creating stronger digital taxation systems capable of identifying hidden wealth and offshore transfers. It was a direct strike against corruption, financial secrecy, and the long-standing loopholes that have drained developing nations of trillions.
What is extraordinary is that these decisions, perhaps some of the most consequential in G-20 history, were made in the absence of the United States. Washington’s non-participation deprived the summit of its traditional weight, but it also gave the rest of the world a rare freedom — a chance to act without American vetoes, delays, or political bargaining. For the first time, the G-20 showed that global governance can continue even when America chooses not to lead.
This absence also reflects a deeper American decline. The United States has already withdrawn from key UN bodies, distanced itself from multilateral structures, and ceded leadership of global organizations to rising powers such as China and India. Across Europe and beyond, intellectuals are questioning the legitimacy of veto powers at the UN Security Council, arguing that one nation should not be allowed to overturn a resolution supported by nearly 200 states. The principle of unilateral veto is increasingly viewed as anti-democratic and incompatible with a modern, multipolar world. If that power is eventually dissolved, the United States — which relies heavily on the veto to protect its geopolitical interests — would suffer the greatest strategic loss.
Economists across Europe are also sounding alarms about the U.S. dollar. They note that gold prices have nearly doubled since Trump intensified tariffs, a sign that global confidence in the dollar as a reserve currency is eroding. History teaches that such erosion is initially slow and subtle — as with the British pound — until one day it becomes sudden and irreversible. A reserve currency survives on three pillars: military strength, predictable governance rooted in rule of law, and a robust, stable economy. Today, America’s economic dominance is shrinking, its global leadership is receding, its institutional predictability is weakening, and its geopolitical influence is being challenged by China, India, Russia, and an increasingly assertive Global South.
The South Africa G-20 Summit was therefore more than a diplomatic event; it was a mirror held up to the United States. It is a wake-up call for a nation that once led the free world with confidence but is now drifting into isolation, controversy, and self-inflicted decline. If the United States hopes to restore its leadership, stabilize its currency, and reclaim its global relevance, it must reverse its inward retreat, rebuild alliances, re-enter global institutions, and embrace cooperation instead of confrontation. Only then can it regain the trust of a world that, for the first time, has shown it can move forward without America — and perhaps, if necessary, beyond it.
By Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister, Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former Press Attaché to Malaysia
Former MD, SRBC | Macomb, Michigan, USA
