Review: The G8's Role in the New Millennium
| Published date | 01 June 2000 |
| Author | Tony Porter |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200005500220 |
| Date | 01 June 2000 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
Reviews
possibly
the
only
outcome
worse
than
letting
Milogevic
succeed in
his
monstrous
scheme
[of
ethnic
cleansing].
The
Kosovars
will
have
undergone
all
the
terrible suffering
that
Milogevi6
imposed
upon them
-
and the
issue
won't
even be
settled.
New
rounds
of
butchery
await
them.'
NATO
forces
are
in
Kosovo
to prevent
this.
How
long
will
they
have
to
hold
the
ring?
John
Fraser/Ottawa
THE
G8'S
ROLE
IN
THE
NEW
MILLENNIUM
Edited
by
Michael
R.
Hodges, John
J.
Kirton,
and
Joseph
P.
Daniels
Aldershot:
Ashgate,
1999,
xv,
191pp,
us$69.95
The
Group
of
Seven,
which,
with
the
addition
of
Russia,
has
become
the
Group
of
Eight
(G7/G8),
is
a
peculiar
institution.
Although
it
can
be
argued
that
it
is
the
most
important
source
of
global
governance,
it
has
no
formal
articles
of
agreement,
decision-making
procedures,
or
secretariat.
The
G7/G8
is
interesting
both
for
its
political power
and
for
its
significance
for
our
understanding
of
international
institutions.
'Explaining
G-8
Effectiveness,'
part
one
of
this
three-part
book,
makes
a
significant
contribution
to
our
understanding
of
the
G7/g8
as
an
institution.
It
consists
of
four
chapters,
by
Nicholas
Bayne,
John
Kirton,
Michael
Hodges,
and
(jointly)
Ella
Kokotsis
and
Joseph
Daniels.
Especially
interesting
was
the
light
they
shed on
the
institu-
tional framework
that
has
developed
around
the
annual
meeting
of
the
leaders.
Bayne
notes
that
the
great
variety
of
ministerial
forums
and
other
subsidiary
processes
strengthen
the
institution
by
allowing lead-
ers
to
delegate.
In
a
detailed
empirical
analysis,
Kokotsis
and Daniels
find
compliance
with
commitments
made
by
the
G7/G8
to
be
impres-
sive.
They
note
variation
by
country
and
issue-area, for
which
they
offer
explanations
such
as
adequacy
of
national
and
international
bureaucratic
capacity.
Kirton
finds
that,
contrary
to the
view
of
those
who
focus
on
hegemony, the
G7/G8
has
been
more
effective
when
capabilities
have
been
most
evenly
distributed among
its
members.
The
chapters
also
provide
recommendations
for
further
G7/G8
devel-
opment,
such
as
focusing
on
issues
for which
it
is
well
suited,
avoiding
over-bureaucratization,
and
addressing
resentment
at
G7/G8
exclusivi-
ty by
inviting other
states
to
participate
on
an ad hoc
basis.
INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL
Spring2000
337
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