World leaders use summit for political recharge
June 20, 1997
Web posted at: 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT)From State Department Correspondent Steve Hurst
DENVER (CNN) -- Major international gatherings like the Summit of the Eight in Denver this weekend have become popular among world leaders as political health spas, providing a chance to revitalize up their images at home. The trend towards self-congratulation has not gone unnoticed by analysts.
"Increasingly, these have become photo sessions that enable each of the leaders to try to prove to his or her public that he or she is a major player in the international economy on the international stage," said Charles William Maynes, president of the Eurasia Foundation.
Healthy or ailing, everyone seeks benefits
The fittest of the lot -- the likes of new British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- are just looking to burnish that healthy political glow.
Those who are ailing -- France's President Jacques Chirac to name one -- seek the curative powers of the political hot springs.
The Gaulist Chirac, battered in early elections, must now share power with socialists wanting to reassert state control over the economy. He will be looking for comfort among the more like-minded free-marketers here.
Japanese leader Ryutaro Hashimoto is hoping for a political recuperation period at the summit as well. He is braced again for battle with Clinton over trade and closed markets while struggling to put the once seemingly invincible Japanese economy back on track.
A diversion from domestic troubles
And then there are those in the middle, who use the meetings to shed a few political pounds and shine themselves up. These include leaders like German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, both struggling with deficits that complicate their quick adoption of a single European currency.
Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien recently saw his majority in Parliament diminish, and, as with all Canadian leaders, is tired of U.S. economic dominance in North America.
U.S. President Bill Clinton also falls into the middle ground. The summit lets him get away from domestic scandals nipping at his heels for a weekend, and instead brag about the U.S. economy.
"We host our partners at a time when America's economy is the healthiest in a generation and the strongest in the world," he told leaders gathered Thursday evening.
His pal and longtime G-7 wannabe, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, has improved his status at the summit in just five years, moving up from junior observer to within a hair's breadth of full membership this time around. His success at the summit has translated into a massive image boost to help him out of the swamp of Russian politics.
It's photo-opportunism at its best, but defenders of these confabs claim a great cross-fertilization of fine minds proceeds apace, despite the overt politicking and posturing for domestic audiences.
Related stories:
- G7 set to tackle the world - June 20, 1997
- Attending Summit, Clinton Touts U.S. Economy - June 19, 1997
- Yeltsin upbeat as world leaders convene economic summit - June 19, 1997
- World leaders descend on Denver - June 19, 1997
- Denver reaches for its historic roots to revitalize downtown - June 18, 1997
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- Welcome To The G7 Denver Summit Information Page
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