If the G20 did not exist, we would have to invent it. Some would counter that the world is so divided that this grouping is unworkable. Yet this fact merely makes the G20, or something like it, even more essential: one does not have to talk to people one already agrees with. A still stronger justification for its existence is that we are no longer able to live in isolated pockets: the health of our planet and our economy depends on our co-operation. Since global challenges are more pressing than ever, so is the need to work together in such a group.
The question then is not whether we need the G20, but how best to use it. How well did the Indian government lead it? What lessons should we draw from this experience for its future?
Understandably, the Indian government used the G20 as a celebration of India and its rising role in the world. It also succeeded in gaining acceptance for full membership of the African Union. The latter is indeed a step towards greater legitimacy for the G20.