ABSTRACT
The Group of Seven/Group of Eight (G7/G8) is an unorthodox international institution. The term G7, and G8, has come to predominate as the name of the annual series of summit meetings. Several scholars affirm the unique character and growing importance of the G7/G8 in the post-Cold War world. John J. Kirton states that “the G7 system of institutions is the late twentieth century global equivalent of the Concert of Europe that helped produce peace among the great powers, and prosperity more widely, from 1818 to 1914”. Perhaps the central role of the G7, according to Kirton, is “to create consensus among its members, at the highest political level, on the major global issues of the moment. The evolving role of the G7/G8 continues to occupy the attention of the academic community, government officials and the news media. The G7/G8 has proven itself to be a flexible, adaptable institution, which bodes well for its future evolution.
