G7 should be dismantled!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

G7 should be dismantled!

by Steve Fair

     President Obama is attending the G7 Summit this week in Germany.  The G7 was started in 1975 as a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from Italy, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, France, Germany and the United States.  The seven countries represent about half of the world’s gross domestic product.  The G7 has been criticized because four the world’s largest economies (Brazil, India, Russia and China) are not included in the club.  Russia was in the group- then the G8- until they invaded Ukraine. 

     According to the G7 website, the agenda at this week’s meeting will include discussion on not just economic issues, but also foreign policy, and climate change.  “The G7 sees itself as a community of values that stands for peace, security and a self-determined life all around the world. Freedom and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, as well as prosperity and sustainable development are key principles of the G7,” the site proclaims.

     First, the real goal of the G7 is to erode the national sovereignty of every participating nation at the G7.    Initially the G7’s goal was attempting to influence and control monetary policy across national boundaries, but now every issue is on the table, not just economic ones.   The G7 monetary experts would love to have a global currency, but that discussion has taken a back seat to climate change.  The most often discussed issue in recent years has been carbon emission reduction.  German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hoping to secure commitments this week from her G7 guests to tackle global warming to build momentum in the run-up to a major United Nations climate summit in Paris in December. The German agenda also foresees discussions on global health issues, from Ebola to antibiotics and tropical diseases.  The supposed peace, security and self-determined life tenets from the G7 mission statement are largely forgotten by the modern G7.

     Second, most US Presidents have recently used the G7 to solicit support for foreign policy.  That is why last year Russia was kicked out because their unwillingness to withdraw from the Ukraine.  On Monday, President Obama asked this question of Vladimir Putin; “Does he continue to wreck his country’s economy and continue Russia’s isolation in pursuit of a wrong-headed desire to recreate the glories of the Soviet empire? Or does he recognize that Russia’s greatness does not depend on violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other countries?”  Fact is Putin is invading Ukraine because he needs the population to keep Russia relevant in the 21^st century.  Russia’s low birth rate is long term an issue.  Russia is dying.  The Ukrainians have a high birth rate which helps solve that issue.   Obama and the other G7 leaders should recognize this isn’t about territory- it’s about population.  The real irony is for the G7 club to rebuke another country for ‘not honoring another countries’ sovereignty.’  That is laughable.  The real purpose of the G7 is to break down the sovereignty of the member nations, not reinforce it. 

     Third, so long as there is a G7, the U.S. should probably be there, but without us, the G7 wouldn’t have near the clout it does now.  The U.S. accounts for nearly 20% of the world’s GDP, but twenty five years ago, the US accounted for 25% of the globe’s GDP.  Japan, France, German and Italy’s clout on the world’s GDP is half of what it was twenty five years ago.  Fact is the G7 countries are losing market share to emerging economies (China, India) and instead of discussing ways to compete globally, the spend more time discussing climate change.  The U.S. should participate by leading to dismantle this worthless club.  It is nothing but a tool of the United Nations to create a global government.  Nothing that happens at the G7 benefits the U.S.