Student Discussion Forums:  G8 Online 2004 Program
 Question and Discussion Points
Has the particular design of the G7/G8 as a modern democratic concert enabled it to serve as an effective and influential centre of global governance, particularly in areas where the old multilateral organizations have not?
How fast and well do G7/G8 leaders learn from past mistakes to produce improved levels of co-operative performance?
How would you reform your own country's government in order to improve its compliance score?
Which countries and regions are in the best position, and which are in the worst position, to benefit from today�s globalization?
What impacts have the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, had on the process of globalization?
At the summit, where has Canada simply supported the United States, and as such made a difference to the summit�s outcome, as the American leadership model (which demands support from a 'strong' second member) would seem to deny?
Which of Canada's distinctive national values is most consistently reflected in its G7/8 diplomacy?
If it can be said that a significant amount of terrorism is a response to the West's control of global policy and that the September 11 terrorist attacks were retaliation for U.S. interference in the Middle East, how can a European- and U.S.-dominated G8 achieve change beyond its geographical boundaries?
How important is it that several G8 members (in particular the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom) show action and leadership domestically versus internationally in implementing the standards to fight terrorism, when most terrorist activity and the root of the problem are considered to fall outside of the Western world?
The effects on the leaders' talks at Sea Island of the situation in Iraq, the deposing of a dictator widely considered to possess weapons of mass destruction and the fact that no such weapons have been found, and the consequent political problems for the U.S.
The subtle erosion of democracy and the constant spectre of abusive, corrupt government in Latin America, in the context of the spread of democracy since the collapse of the Soviet empire to places as far flung as Mongolia and the Baltic states.
The influence of domestic political management on the Sea Island Summit, in light of the electoral campaigns of both Prime Minister Paul Martin and President George Bush, specifically the promise by Prime Minister Martin to raise the issue of oil and gas prices.
The eradication of infectious diseases, especially those ravaging the African sub-continent, and the connection between population health and economic prosperity, which is being manifested by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the G8 Africa Action Plan.
The effects of fighting terrorism on borders on cross-border transactions, such as the political difficulty of agreeing on the standards for trust among countries, the consequences for trade and the impact on the treatment of the source of terrorism.
The digital divide and whether access to the internet increases or maintains existing inequalities in wealth and income in the countries experiencing these new technologies, particularly developing countries.
Electronic governance, through ICTs, in support of a responsible market economy, to facilitate accountability and transparency and to make it possible for citizens to see where their tax dollars go.
The statement in the Chair�s Summary at Sea Island that G8 supported progress in the multilateral effort against corruption and the comprehensive anti-corruption compacts with countries such as Georgia, Nigeria, Nicaragua and Peru.
The Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative (formerly known as the Greater Middle East Initiative, or GMEI).

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