Marco Rubio pulls plug on traditional photo op at meeting of foreign ministers after about one-third of countries threaten boycott
The traditional “family photo” to open the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting has been abruptly cancelled in the US after a host of nations – including Australia and the UK – refused to appear beside the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, pulled the plug after several European officials, the UK and Australia made it known they would boycott or walk out of the snapshot that often kicks off such international gatherings.
Rubio still opened the talks in Atlanta with an appeal for unity on the issues that threaten international security and trade.
The United States have established that they’re incapable of stable relations. In world politics a decade is a short time and agreements are expected to last much longer than that. But the States have established that 180° turns can be expected every four years when sane presidents get elected and every couple weeks when it’s someone like Trump.
Living that down will require decades of very diligent attention to consistency and diplomacy.