The world's leading democracies are struggling to govern

Across the G-7, the political centre is fracturing and Donald Trump will make the problem worse.

- Gideon Rachman

The Group of Seven (G-7) is the "steering committee of the free world", according to Mr Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden's national security adviser. If so, the free world has a problem. The majority of G-7 governments are now so burdened with domestic political problems that they are incapable of steering their own countries - let alone the free world.

Consider the political situations in France, Germany, Canada and Japan, as well as South Korea, which is not formally a member of the G-7 but routinely attends the summits.

In France, the government recently fell after it was unable to pass a budget. A new prime minister is in place but will face the same problems. There is much speculation that Mr Emmanuel Macron will resign as president before the scheduled end of his term in 2027.

Germany is heading for elections after the collapse of the "traffic-light" coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Recent elections in Japan saw the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lose its majority for the first time since 2009 - with new polls likely in 2025.

In Canada, Mr Justin Trudeau's near decade in power is coming to an undignified end. With his party way behind in polls, the Prime Minister is under intense pressure to resign.

The piece de resistance of democratic decline is South Korea, where President Yoon Suk Yeol's political position became so desperate that he declared martial law. Protests quickly forced him to back down and led to his impeachment.