ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides the performance of the Group of Seven (G7)/ Group of Eight (G8), in fostering policy cooperation and coordination, compliance with collective commitments, and crisis management. During the 1990s, the G7 and G8, has attracted a rising crescendo of scholarly and policy criticism as it and the world have confronted a host of new issues and major transformations. The book offers a more optimistic assessment of the G7’s performance and potential, but one that points in the same direction toward the institutional adaptations required for the new millennium. It presents a vibrant and diverse array of views about the proper role of the G7/8, the causes of past success, the adequacy of its current reforms, the management of pressing issues, and prescriptions for future action and institutional adjustment.
