A Potemkin Village? A G8 Summit retrospective
Dec 1, 02:31 AM
The Russian customs official eyes Adrian Morson with a blank look of equal boredom and suspicion. Her dark Slavic eyes match her olive-green uniform. She frowns beneath her wide-brimmed military cap, and leaves her booth, taking his passport through a door into an unknown passage into the bowels of the airport security offices.
He is not in Moscow, but also really nowhere. Toronto is 10,000 Km behind him. He knows this because he watched the flight of the plane, traced out on the in-flight screen where a movie might have been. In the limbo that only international travel could provide.
He and three other students are left waiting without their passports for over an hour.
Adrian’s first Russian lesson is one that will be repeated again and again for him and his colleagues. Sometimes in Russia you just have to wait. Often with no explanation.
Adrian, along with 21 other students from Canada, traveled this summer to St. Petersburg, Russia, to attend the first ever G8 Summit held in Russia from July 14 to 17.
The G8 Research Group is the creation of University of Toronto Associate Professor John Kirton. Every year since 1988 Kirton has attended the G8 Summit in its rotating countries and brought with him a team of students analysts, mostly undergraduates from the University of Toronto.
These students have been working with him over the past year to prepare the Research Groups annual report on the progress of the G8 countries. Nearly all of them are undergraduates. Two are Russian born. Many come from or have roots in countries other than Canada. Most are experienced travelers.
But Russia is different. A declined superpower still recovering from its conversion from Sovietism to an open-market, crime is rampant and xenophobic violence has left dozens of foreigners dead over the past year. For many the G8 Summit is an opportunity for Russia to return to pre-eminence in the international sphere.
Every year the summit follows a similar schedule. The first day is comprised of press conferences from external organizations, such as NGOs or the European Union, On the second day the leaders of the eight countries convene for a dinner meeting, during which the final agreement is reached. The leaders meet again on the final morning before holding a press conferences. The summit concludes when the leader of the host country hosts the final Chair’s summary.
Vanessa Corlazzoli was the executive chair of this year’s G8 Research Group team. Vanessa is a fourth undergraduate at the University of Toronto’s International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies program. Vanessa lead the research group from August 2005 until the end of the 2006 summit this July. Vanessa says the experience speaks for itself,
“It’s a new experience for students, where you’re going to press conferences, surrounded by international media and, face to face with worth leaders. This is the closest you’ll ever to be foreign policy. And you see things happening right here on the ground.”
10 students said they “extremely” enjoyed the summit, while another 11 said their experience was ‘moderately’ enjoyable. The students viewed the experience as a character building one, taking exhaustion, a difficult working environment and an occasionally hostile living environment in stride. Almost all of the students said attending the summit was an “extremely” worthwhile experience. Only two thought it was a “moderately” worthwhile experience.
Attending the summit is the crown jewel of being involved in the G8 Research group. It’s no surprise that the competition is tough. For the 130 students involved in the Research Group, only 20 or so get to go.
“I wanted a team that would bring experience to the summit, but also a team that would be loyal and committed,” G8 Research group chair Vanessa Corlazzoli.
Priority was given to students who had done excellent work, or who had attended Research group functions throughout the year. Students who had been with the group for multiple years were given priority. Speaking more than one of the G8 languages was an asset, but not required.
The compliance report is the main research focus of the Research Group. The group releases two reports each year. An interim report is released in February and a final compliance report is released just prior to the summit, which is in June or July.
Every year the leaders at the summit release documents containing commitments to be reached by the next summit. A commitment is usually an agreement to spend a certain amount of money by specific date, or that a specific goal will accomplished before the next summit. A student analyst is responsible for finding any evidence suggesting that the country has met the commitment. Analysts use press releases, newspaper articles, quotes from leaders, reports from NGO’s to find their evidence.
Many of the students arrived in Russia several days early to adjust to their new environment as well explore historic St. Petersburg. Rather than relaxing, many found the experience intense and at times arduous. Several were fined by local police for various seemingly arbitrary infractions, including photographing the beautiful and vast Soviet era subway network.
Many students had difficulty sleeping. Though the famous White Nights ended some weeks before, the sun still set well after midnight and began to rise again at around 3 a.m.
It didn’t help that the ornate but crumbling Leninist-era apartment block trapped the 35 degree celsius heat of the day. Leaving the windows open at night allowed giant mosquitoes to feast on the students at night.
The apartment was also filthy. Most of the team returned to Canada with bed-bugs. Rather than being rested and ready for the Summit, most of the team was exhausted and itchy.
Still, everyone agreed the city was beautiful, if crumbling and sad.
First impressions are always lasting impressions. The summit is at first overwhelming. There are cellphones ringing all around, helicopters thundering overhead and a bevy of conversations drifting in and out of earshot in the five official languages of the summit.
Hitomi Roppongi, a Japanese international fourth year Economics undergraduate at the University of Toronto was in disbelief, “Seeing many professional journalists, government official and of course, world leaders close by, I was so excited.”
Journalists and government officials weren’t all the students noticed at the summit. First year Masters student Chris Collins was impressed by the ever-present Russian security.
In the days leading up to the summit St. Petersburg’s busy streets had emptied, populated now primarily fatigue-wearing army and police officers. The speedboats used to transport the journalists were inspected by Russian navy frogmen at every stop between the pickup points and the summit.
The international media centre was not spared the intense security presence either. The centre was an array of tents and security fences on the shores of the Finnish Gulf, about 35 Km outside St. Petersburg. More than one student analyst was taken aback by the beauty of the scene, but little time was spent enjoying the scenery. Most of the students time was was spent Print Press building, an enormous tent containing thousands of journalists, computers, fax machines, telephones and rooms for simultaneous translation. Nearby was a 24-hour restaurant and all day complimentary drinks. The food was described as passable, but plentiful.
Recent political science graduate Laura Hodgins felt the services provided to the journalists were “a bit over-the-top.”
Not far from the media centre, past three fences and fields, were the sleepy dachas (cottages) where the leaders were staying during the summit. Far from the peeling paint, garbage and poverty of the city.
Recent history graduate Mike Vary took one look at the summit grounds and recognized it immediately: “A Potemkin Village.”
The Russians boasted that six million flowers had been planted in St. Petersburg in anticipation of the summit. Vast flower beds lined the newly built highways entering the city, and adorned the many intersections and squares in the city. Vast flower beds full of the dried husks of flowers, desiccated in the 35 degree heat.
The purpose of attending the summit is the press conferences. 12 students managed to attend five to 10 press conferences. Eight said they made it only 1 to 4 press conferences. Two said they attended over 11 press conferences throughout the four day summit. Aaron Raths, a recent graduate of the International Relations and Peace and Conflict studies at the University of Toronto was struck by the way leaders projected their personalities in the room.
“The sense of theatre is much more pronounced than it is through the television,” he said.
Aaron, like many other students, found the press conferences brief. Although they often started half-an-hour or more behind schedule, the conferences rarely lasted more than 45 minutes including the question period that almost always followed.
“I had heard that the G8 was quite pre-scripted, but it was striking how smoothly the conferences went. I expected more harsh questioning from the press.”
Mike Varey wondered why so many journalists and cameras were required to cover the same event.
Hitomi was star struck by Japanese Prime Minister Jochiro Koizumi. She said, “the image I had for Koizumi was cheerful, unique, star-like figure, but he seemed more serious than I thought he would be.”
Koizumi’s serious side didn’t stop him from rounding up Hitomi and other girls from the media for a photo-op.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was a crowd-pleaser also. Every student polled was impressed by his presence and force on stage. In a rare event, United States President George W. Bush and Putin held a joint press conference on the second night of the summit. President Bush rarely holds press conferences open to the general media. Usually only the White House press pool is permitted to ask him questions. Every student interviewed found the interaction between the two leaders enlightening.
But Laura felt that the press conferences were too scripted,
“There were no questions that seemed to create any discomfort among the leaders, according to my observations. Perhaps this is a result of most of the announcements have been formulated so far in advance of the Summit.”
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave the last of the press briefings before the final speech by host Putin. Harper spoke for 10 minutes. He answered four question from four pre-approved journalists seated in the front row of the briefing room.
“I was deeply disappointed with PM Harper and the fact that he did not take questions from the international media,” Vanessa complained.
Nevertheless Harper took time after the press conference to meet with the Research group executive. The students told Harper about their work with the Research group, as well as new initiatives such as the G8live website. Harper spoke candidly to the students about his dinner conversation with the other leaders.
“Lenin’s corpse has more charisma,” quipped one student afterwards.
The Leader’s press briefings are the primary reason the students are at the summit. But non-governmental organizations such as Oxfam. the World Wildlife Fund and Make Poverty History were invited to attend, as they are every year. Controversy surrounded Russia’s G8 presidency as they initially were recalcitrant towards allowing NGOs at the summit. Russia eventually relaxed its restrictions but still prevented most Russia NGOs from attending. Instead they held a civil society summit in a nearby stadium.
Safety and security concerns prevented the Research group from sending students to the civil society summit. The result was only four students said they made it to any of the NGO press conferences held during the summit.
Brianna was disappointed saying, “It was extremely poorly attended, despite the immense importance I think civil society should play at the summit. It was quite depressing really.”
Vanessa had a simple answer why the NGOs are largely overlooked by the G8 Research group. The civil society unit was only founded two years ago. Only four of the 22 students at the summit are dedicated to covering the NGO presence.
The summit also offered some surprise encounters for the students.
At the end of the French press conference, third-year International Relations student Heloise Apesteguy-Reux decided that she’d like a photo with French president Jacques Chirac. Heloise is originally from the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. The tiny islands are a French territory located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence south of Newfoundland. Heloise found a spot near the stage where Chirac would have to pass to exit the room. As he passed Heloise called out: “Monsieur Chirac, une photo pour le jeun de St. Pierre et Miquelon”
Heloise knew Chirac had visited the islands once. They are a vestigial connection between France and French Canada. Surprised, Chirac stopped and turned to her: “Oh St. Pierre et Miquelon? Mais oui, naturellement une photo”
Chirac put his arm around Heloise while the photo was taken. Heloise recalls it all happened extremely fast. The photo was taken while she was talking to Chirac.
“And that was it. He was gone,” she exclaimed.
The students held a generally reserved view about the effectiveness of the G8 summit. Most felt it was “slightly” to “moderately” effective but many still viewed it as incapable of accomplishing its goals. Only one student felt the G8 was extremely effective and four thought it was moderately ineffective.
The G8 is often accused of making vague commitments or ones that are easy to fill. Quite often the money promised in commitments has been already allocated and isn’t new money. The students were uniquely aware of these hypocrisies.
Vanesssa says the G8 does bring world attention to neglected issues. She thinks that the topics covered by the G8 push the international dialogue and the agenda of other countries. If the G8 discusses poverty, chances are other countries will also. But like many she remains skeptical,
“Do we see the results? Probably not. Does the public see the results? Absolutely not.”
For many it’s hard to escape the overwhelming impression that the summit is just a big photo-opportunity for the leaders. Because the actual meeting happens behind close doors it’s hard to know what “unofficial” impact it has on bilateral relations.
Because the G8 summit is a meeting of leaders, personalities do play a role. And as leaders come and go the differing personalities of the leaders cause the effectiveness of the summit to ebb and flow. Many feel the eight found a lot of common ground in St. Petersburg, but the friendly atmosphere may have stifled meaningful debate.
Russia was warmly admitted as a peer of the G7 without its shortcomings of poverty, instability, corruption and violence coming to light. In many ways, Russia’s 21st Century Potemkin Village succeeded.
When the summit ended many of the students were simply too tired to comprehend what they experienced. Brianna found the summit intense, “I was exhausted and quite happy to be moving on to Moscow. After a while all the conferences stopped seeming real, because it’s all so surreal that you can really handle it for a short period of time.”
Andre laughs, “Journalists will eat anything!”
Over half of the students said they “definitely” want to travel to Russia again. The rest were evenly uncertain or “probably” wanted to to travel to Russia again. Two said they “probably would not” travel there again, citing safety worries. The students were left with lasting impression of the city had played a sometimes gracious and sometimes reluctant host over the week.
Still many Russians see signs of progress in their country. For the Russians in the Research group returning after many years the signs were also there. Vanessa concluded thoughtfully,
“I want to return to Russia. Not tomorrow, but maybe in 20 years. It will be interesting to see how Russia transforms itself. I feel, from what I saw, Russia is still very much a country in transition. It is at a point that it could go either way.”
posted by: Michael Lehan
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Michael Lehan is a media journalist based in Toronto, Canada