Why aren't the G-8 and D-8 meeting together? Don't you think more can be done if the leaders have ........

Question

a joint meeting? There are these important summits going on at the same time in different parts of the world but the leaders aren't meeting together. Why is that? What does that say about world politics? I think it's strange.

Answer 1

The G-8 is specifically designed to minimize the number of people in the room.  It is easy to find international forums for lots of leaders to talk.  It is a lot harder to institutionalize the meeting of a smaller number of powerful leaders with diverse interests that affect the whole world.  Also besides the G-8 and the D-8 there are a whole slew of similar smaller groups that meet regularly.  It is not that they don't want to (or shouldn't) talk, but rather that they want to be in a smaller group to talk more potent and particularized policy.