For many years, the political leaders of the world’s biggest economies, known as the G8, have been getting together for “summit” meetings to talk and make plans for the future of the world. This group will be meeting for a day and a half, on June 26 and 27, at the Kananaskis ski resort near Calgary.
The G-8 (the U.S., Canada, Japan, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) together represent over half of the world’s total economy, measured by gross domestic product.
These summit meetings are usually scripted well in advance and serve largely to put a multi-lateral political blessing on deals that have already been negotiated by officials over the months preceding the meeting. The agenda for the June meeting is supposed to focus on three issues:
- Strengthening global economic growth
- Africa, and a “New Partnership for African Development”
- Anti-Terrorism
The anti-terrorism item will clearly revolve around George Bush pushing to maintain support for whatever campaign on terrorism he happens to want to wage at that time.
The Africa agenda item is an attempt to come to terms with the massive economic and humanitarian problems faced by Africa – poverty, war, disease, and the lack of access to basic human needs like clean water. The “New Partnership” (NEPAD) is set of proposals from some African heads of state seeking international financial support, foreign investment, and market access for African countries. Given the history of foreign activity in Africa, it is hard to imagine that this program, if undertaken, will lead to improvements in the lives of most Africans. There will, however, likely be at least a token commitment made to the NEPAD program by the G8 leaders.
For the G8 leaders, the third agenda item, “strengthening economic growth” means a further extension of global economic liberalization. While we will hear some lip-service to environmental sustainability and reducing international inequality, the agenda for extending corporate power and weakening national governments will undoubtedly maintain its precedence.
Since the Canada is hosting this summit, the federal government has organized consultation meetings across the country on the Kananaskis meeting, and a Parliamentary Committee is also holding hearings, to give the impression that Canadians have some input into the process.
Unfortunately, since the leaders seem actually to listen only to corporate voices, Summit meetings have been attracting increasing protests, and we have seen increasingly violent confrontations between protesters and security forces. One of the key attractions of Kananaskis for summit organizers is its relatively isolated location, which makes it easier to seal off for security purposes.
These Summits pose a dilemma for people who oppose the international corporate agenda and the way in which corporations have taken complete control of the international economic system. While demonstrations and educational sessions linked to the Summits seem to have helped to build public awareness, they have had little impact on the corporate globalization process. Attempts by frustrated demonstrators to disrupt the meetings, or at least gain the attention of the leaders, has been met by force and a general media characterization of opposition as no-nothing trouble-makers and anarchists.
For the Kananaskis Summit, there are already a number of activities planned, organized by the Alberta Federation of Labour and others, including educational sessions over the preceding week in Calgary, and a tent camp on the road to Kananaskis. Information is available at http://g8.activist.ca.
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