A year ago, at the previous G7 meeting in Canada, a single image captured the mood. It showed Germany's Angela Merkel leaning imploringly over a table towards a seated Donald Trump, his arms resolutely crossed. Shortly afterwards, the American president walked out, and pulled out of a pre-agreed final communiqué.
It is a telling reflection of the current state of multilateral affairs that, at this year's G7 summit in the French resort of Biarritz, which began on August 24th, it was considered a minor diplomatic triumph merely that, by the end of day two, the American president was still cooperating.
This year's gathering, which brings together the leaders of America, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Britain, began on a more upbeat note. In a tweet, Mr Trump took a swipe at what he called the "Fake and Disgusting News" media and their predictions of disaster, insisting that "we are having very good meetings, the Leaders are getting along very well". Behind the cordial tone, the points of friction—over climate change, trade, taxation of tech firms, Iran, Russia and Ukraine—were well known.
