Cameras Off: G7 Summit Heralds the Return of In-Person Diplomacy

Summit meetings are always full of prepackaged “deliverables,’’ but stage management always works better when there’s an actual stage.

PLYMOUTH, England — Call it the much-welcomed death of Zoom diplomacy. President Biden and six leaders from the world’s richest nations are meeting — face-to-face — in a picturesque, seaside resort in Cornwall, on England’s southwestern shore. It is the first in-person global summit meeting since the coronavirus pandemic shut down travel and forced presidents and prime ministers to reach for the “raise hand” button, just like everyone else. So far, proximity appears to be working in favor of cooperation.