Opinion Why the G-8 Summit Doesn'T Matter By JULIET HINDELL	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
九州・沖縄サミットが重大だと思えない理由 九州・沖縄サミットが重大だと思えない理由 来月、沖縄県名護市で開かれるサミットに向けて 日本は盛り上がりを見せているが 実際はこれまでのサミットと同じように 具体的なものは何も生み出さない会議に なるのではないだろうか。

If you live in Japan there is no way you can have escaped the fact that the leaders of the richest countries in the world will be gathering here in July for the Group of Eight Summit. The buildup to the event even includes a special commemorative G-8 Orion Okinawan beer can. Japan seems to set a great deal of store in this meeting but frankly it is irrelevant.

The eight are Japan, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the recent addition of Russia. The group discusses important issues facing the world from the economy to trouble spots and health issues. That's all well and good. The world's most powerful leaders should discuss what is happening in the world and agree on concerted policies to address global problems.

But why do it in this way? Can anyone honestly say that their lives have been affected by the contents of a communique that is issued at the end of the G-8 Summit? In my opinion these summits are all a massive waste of money and time on what amounts to little more than a huge dose of symbolic handshakes.

The Okinawa summit promises to be an even bigger money-spinner than ever before. A special conference center, the Bankoku Shinryokan, has been built at Nago in Okinawa. It is right next to a luxury resort hotel and overlooks a stunning bay of turquoise sea. But this meeting will last just three days.

All the heads of state, their advisers, hangers-on and journalists will have to fly to this remote corner of Japan, and get to the conference site, which is at least an hour and a half from the airport. In Okinawa, they will be surrounded by a huge security operation, treated to gorgeous banquets and given expensive souvenirs. It probably won't be possible for the heads of state to really enjoy their surroundings, they'll be too busy having meetings. There's also the worry that a typhoon could put a serious damper on the proceedings.

But the cost of doing all that is not all. There have been numerous pre-summits — education and environment ministers have met in Japan, and finance ministers and foreign ministers hold special meetings in July.

What do the taxpayers of the G-8 nations get for their money? Big "statements" and "pledges" to do "something" about for example this year the Internet, AIDS, genetically modified foods and as a special treat a vote on which G-8 leader has the best sense of humor. The summit will see the testing of a new computer voting system. The leaders, delegates and journalists at the summit will be invited to vote by computer on which leader has told the best jokes at the meeting.

The idea of the vote seems to me to reflect the utterly frivolous nature of these summits. In the age of the Internet, videophones and satellite links there is no reason at all for leaders to traipse around the world for these lavish extravaganzas.

Okinawa may benefit briefly from its moment in the spotlight but I predict the summit as always will be a talking session out of which nothing concrete emerges. All that buildup for what is, in essence, a world class non-event.

Shukan ST: June 30, 2000

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