The View From the Summit
June 10, 2004One could almost envy the leaders of the eight biggest industrialized countries, the members of the so-called G-8 states. This year's world economic summit takes place in the sub-tropical paradise of Sea Island, an eight-kilometer long island off the coast of Georgia full of noble villas and golf courses. But the heads of state and government will have little time to enjoy the luxury. From June 8 to 10, they will be focused on negotiating a tough political agenda covering the current situation in Iraq, the peace process in the Middle East and the continuing high price of oil.
The location of this year's summit follows the trend set in previous years of staging the high-profile meeting in secluded sites removed from mass protests by globalization critics. With such hot-button issues on the table, the two-day conference is nonetheless bound to attract demonstrators and generate a good deal of criticism.
In this collection of articles, DW-WORLD provides background information on the G-8, its history, its goals and its opponents along with current analysis and commentary.