Jun 28 2002
Go Canada!
This week’s G8 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, is notable for a number of things.
First, it was more than just the usual dog & pony show. Our own Jean Chretien, love him or hate him, had an agenda and as chair of the summit, was able to stick to it. He also restricted the number of aides that each delegate could bring, which cleaved off several layers of glad-handing and allowed them to focus on the work. And the work, of course, was useful this time–significant (although controversial) movement and money for African development, and billions of dollars to Russia for cold-war cleanup.
Another notable thing about the Kananaskis G8 Summit was the absence of violent protest. The fiascoes at Genoa and Quebec City were embarrassing on all sides–that kind of violence only begets more violence and it distracts from both the work of the summit (love it or hate it, we need to know about it) and from the legitimate protesters.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, was the unveiling of a new form of G8 protest… nudity!
