G8 – The group of eight

The G8 refers to the "group of eight", the eight most advanced industrialized countries, measured by economic output. The current membership of the G8 includes the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. The heads of state of G8 countries, and the President of the European Commission gather for summit style meetings annually. Hosting of the Summit rotates among G8 members.

The purpose of the Summits is to develop and implement strategies for reform and co- ordinate policy on issues of international importance. Stated purposes of the G8 also include influencing the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, other industrialized countries, and other global organizations. Summit agenda themes include macroeconomic policy, nuclear safety, environmental degradation, drug proliferation, international terrorism and foreign investment in developing countries.

After each summit the G8 issues a statement or communiqué in which they describe in broad terms the agenda discussed, the consensual opinion of the G8 members, and their strategy for addressing the agenda. Sometimes they form more specific action plans to implement agreements. They also regularly report on how the implementation of the action plans in each member country is proceeding.

The initial Summit was held in November of 1975, in Rambouillet, France. This meeting was attended by France, West Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 1976 at the Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico Summit, Canada joined and the name G7 was coined. In 1977 the president of the European Commission was invited to participate annually. In 1991, then president Gorbachev of the Soviet Union was invited to attend the London Summit by British Prime Minister John Major. In 1997 at the Denver Summit Russia officially became the eighth member. However, Russia does not participate in financial and economic discussions.

The G8's organizational structure has developed over the years. Initially, the Summit meetings were characterized by their brevity, privacy, and informality. Over the years, the G8 meeting have acquired a significantly higher level of organization. Currently, the G8 heads of state employ increasing numbers of support staff to assist in the preparation for and follow up of a Summit. In addition, the G8 now undertakes more extensive consultations with non-member countries and international organizations.

The G8's agenda has also broadened significantly throughout its history. As a result, the G8 member countries now have separate meetings throughout the year for finance, foreign and labour ministers.

Controversy surrounding the G8 involves four major areas of concern.

• The first is the legitimacy of its foundation as an institution. While clearly an institution of global governance, the G8 was not founded in a republican or democratic manner. It began as the prerogative of the heads of state, and has no founding constitution guaranteeing transparency or setting forth democratic rules of procedure.

• The second criticism concerns the style in which the G8 conducts its work and whether or not that style coheres with democratic practice. In particular, the exclusive summit-style meetings have been challenged by critics as excessively elitist. Local leaders and non-governmental organizations, so it is argued, are forced to play the role of spectator, despite the fact they represent the very groups most knowledgeable about and affected by the decisions taken at the summit.

• The third area of controversy is the G8's effectiveness in addressing issues of international concern. Some economists have argued that the body's macroeconomic agreements have actually damaged the global economy while non-governmental organizations concerned with environmental policy argue that the G8 has failed to make any progress on environmental issues. In particular, it is often noted that although the G8 came to an agreement on facilitating a slowdown of environmental degradation with the Kyoto protocol, it will not be ratified by all member countries. This problem highlights the fact that compliance with commitments is non-binding among member countries.

• Finally, there is a concern about security measures designed to limit the effectiveness of recent protests. Due to the above criticisms, large organized demonstrations at G8 summits have begun to occur. In Genoa, Italy in June of 2001 one protester was fatally shot by paramilitary police and many were beaten, including peaceful protesters. In response to the difficulty the G8 is experiencing due to its opposition, G8 member states have been accused of employing security policies that violate civil liberties in order to conduct their meetings.

As with all other bodies of global governance, the G8 now faces severe challenges. Once an event that was of interest largely to economists, the annual summits now provide the focus for campaigning and critical media comment on a truly global scale. In addition, there is now increasing concern that the gathering of the world's most powerful leaders in one place on a regular basis offers a tempting target for terrorists. However, the greatest threat to the integrity of the G8 may come from America's current shift to a unilateral approach to its world role and the wedge this may drive between the sole super power and the seven other members of the body. Whether the G8 can survive these intense pressures in its current form over the next decade remains to be seen.

Suggested Reading:

W. Bello et al. (eds.), Global Finance, Zed Books, 200

D. Coyle, Governing the World Economy, Polity, 2000

P. Dicken, Global Shift, Paul Chapman Publishing, 1998

P. Hajnal et al., The G7/G8 System, Ashgate, 1999

M. Hodges et al. (eds.), The G8's Role in the New Millennium, Ashgate, 1999

Suggested Websites:

The G8 Information Centre, www.g7.utoronto.ca/

G8 Online, http://g8.market2000.ca/

G8 Activism, http://g8.activist.ca/

G8 Renewable Energy Task Force, www.renewabletaskforce.org/

Laura Reagan is a PhD candidate in political theory at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL.

Placed on Fabian Global Forum, May 2002