With the rubbish cleared from Hyde Park and other Live8 venues around the world and the music fast becoming a mellow memory, the focus shifts to the eight men with the power to decide Africa's fate when they meet at the Gleneagles hotel in Perthshire this week.
Musicians and politicians called at the concert for justice for Africa. The leaders of eight of the world's wealthiest countries are capable of delivering. But do they all want to?
British Prime Minister Tony Blair
What does he want?
Blair wants the G8 to cancel debt to the world's poorest countries, to double aid to Africa to ?50 billion (US$87.7 billion) by 2010, reform trade to reduce subsidies to Western farmers and remove restrictions on African exports, and, as part of conflict resolution, agree an arms trade treaty. On climate change, Blair wants concerted action by reducing carbon emissions.
Domestic pressure
With Blair not fighting another election, he is looking for a positive legacy. The Make Poverty History campaign, which he has encouraged, has raised expectations that the G8 will deliver.
Expected outcome
Most of the communique relating to Africa has been agreed, with all signing up the cancellation of ?25 billion in debts for the 18 poorest countries, 14 of them in Africa. The leaders have also promised increases in aid. But there is little chance of a deal in trade, the most important issue. There are too many vested interests in the G8 to be overcome, mainly US and European farmers. The communique is unlikely to go much beyond a statement of intent to reform rather than action. There will be a similar statement of intent on curbing the arms trade but without a commitment to action.
Climate change is the most divisive issue facing the summit and Blair is looking for compromise.
US President George W. Bush
What does he want?
He does not want to be left looking like the leader who was stingy about aid for Africa. The US does not like the International Finance Facility (IFF), a plan drawn up by British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to help fund aid to Africa. Nor does it like the idea of increasing aid to countries it regards as corrupt.
In spite of the reservations, Bush called on Congress last week to spend more than US$1.2 billion over the next five years to help defeat malaria as part of the US contribution to Blair's ?50 billion aid target.
But he is opposed to trade reform, saying that the US will not tackle the subsidies to its farmers until Europe deals with its common agricultural policy. He is also hostile to the proposed arms trade treaty.
The US is the world's biggest polluter, but Bush refuses to accept that there is sufficient scientific data to establish beyond doubt that there is a problem. He refused to ratify the 1997 Kyoto agreement that set legally binding limits on reducing emissions, and continues to oppose any such restrictions.
Domestic pressure
There is relatively little interest in Africa. The Live8 concert in Philadelphia on Saturday did not have the same resonance, or media coverage, in the US as the concerts in Europe.
On climate change, individual US states as well as companies have been implementing reforms, and Bush has been looking at alternative energy supplies. But agreeing a deal on carbon emissions would mean confronting the oil industry and consumers used to extremely cheap petrol, and this he will not do.
Expected outcome
A deal on debt and aid is already in place, though aid organizations question whether the US aid announcements are as generous as Bush suggests.
Negotiations on climate change in London among G8 officials at the weekend did not go well. The fudged communique is likely to agree that climate change is a major problem but without acceptance by the US of the scientific basis.
French President Jacques Chirac
What does he want?
Chirac will arrive at Gleneagles from Singapore, where the next Olympics venue will have been decided. If Paris has beaten London, will Chirac be less inclined to make life difficult for Blair? He is planning two press conferences: one on Thursday and one on Friday, and could opt to highlight differences rather than points of convergence at the summit.
Like other European leaders, he broadly supports Blair on Africa and climate change. One difference is that instead of Brown's IFF scheme, France favors a tax on aviation fuel to help fund Africa.
But on climate change, according to French diplomats, Chirac could seek to force Blair to choose between Europe and Bush.
Domestic pressure
The main pressure on Chirac is over his European policy rather than from campaigners on Africa. He has been left angry and vulnerable by the French rejection of the EU constitution and what he sees as Blair's destruction of EU budget talks. Although he intends to stand for re-election, his poll ratings are at an all-time low and a bit of baiting of Blair, or Bush, might help.
Expected outcome
Although Chirac could disrupt the proceedings, he is unlikely to succeed in his push for the communique to recognize that climate change is scientifically recognized to be related to carbon emissions, and to force a public split between Bush and Blair.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
What does he want?
British officials appear not to have grasped just how disliked Blair is in Berlin in the wake of the failed EU budget summit.
Schroeder remains deeply skeptical both of Blair's proposals on Africa -- and his motives. Schroeder's officials have scathingly dismissed the notion that more money will solve Africa's problems as "old thinking."
Berlin wants to tie any increase in aid to improved governance, so that African states only receive extra money if they can prove they have tackled corruption. The Germans have signed up to the Kyoto protocol and set more ambitious targets than any other EU state.
Domestic pressure
Of all the leaders gathering in Scotland, Schroeder is under the greatest domestic pressure, facing an early election in September.
Expected outcome
Germany is likely to dig in its heels over the issue of doubling aid to Africa over the next five years. At the same time a weakened Schroeder will be reluctant to be cast as the bad guy at next week's summit, suggesting there could be room for compromise. He is unlikely to offer any explicit criticism of the US.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
What does he want?
Putin will be glad just to be present, after his human rights record threw up questions about Russia's right to a place at Gleneagles and the hosting of next year's summit.
Russia agreed two weeks ago to cancel US$2 billion in debt from Africa left over from the Soviet era. Russia was initially skeptical about the value of more aid to Africa, but has seen a way to make this work to its advantage.
He intends to use the aid to Africa as a springboard to the St Petersburg summit, where he will propose aid to the former Soviet republics: Georgia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Moldova.
Russia is a signatory to the Kyoto treaty and next year will make energy, along with aid to the former Soviet republics, the main themes of its summit. But he is less interested in climate change than in energy security, specifically the protection of the oil pipelines from the Caspian.
Domestic pressure
Almost none on Africa and climate change.
Expected outcome
He will agree with Blair on Africa and climate change but avoid embarrassing the US. His priority is to avoid having next year's summit taken away from him.
Japanese Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi
What does he want?
His priorities are a seat on the UN security council, for which he will be lobbying on the sidelines of the summit, and concern about North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Japan prefers bilateral rather than multilateral aid to Africa, but not wanting to be seen to be difficult at Gleneagles, Koizumi announced in April a doubling of aid to Africa by 2010, Blair's target.
Japan, a signatory to the Kyoto treaty, has taken various initiatives to try to reduce carbon emissions, from asking for air conditioning to be turned down to an announcement that businessmen should no longer wear ties to help them remain cool.
Domestic pressure
Few. He remains popular.
Expected outcome
Koizumi has already succeeded in having North Korea placed on the agenda. On aid, he will go along with Blair, but the Japanese government privately believes, and may even hope, that some of the Gleneagles agenda will be lost when Russia takes on the G8 presidency next year.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
What does he want?
Berlusconi does not want to be portrayed as mean-spirited and has already committed himself to an increase in aid. But the Italian finance ministry was less enthusiastic and has refused to set a timetable. Italy, like Germany, is concerned about how it can remain with the economic restrictions on spending set by the EU while increasing aid. The Italian government has since said that aid is an aspiration rather than a firm commitment.
Domestic pressure
Berlusconi faces declining poll ratings and is planning to run again next year. But Africa is not a big domestic issue.
Expected outcome
Berlusconi, intent on maintaining a low profile, will not block the moves on aid, but that does not mean that Italy will necessarily implement any agreed promises. Although a signatory to the Kyoto agreement, Berlusconi will not try to embarrass either Blair or Bush, whom he joined in the Iraq war.
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin
What does he want?
The Canadian prime minister wants the aid campaigners off his back. The campaigners have mounted a relentless campaign to get Martin to commit Canada, which spends only 0.26 percent of its GDP, to the UN goal of 0.7 percent. Blair and Brown have committed the UK to reaching this goal by 2013.
Domestic pressure
Live 8 in Canada has received almost as much attention in the media as in the UK.
Expected outcome
The pressure on Martin to adopt the 0.7 percent target is mainly to leave the US, which also refuses to sign up, isolated.
But Martin will not do that. Although the next-door neighbor to US pollution and a signatory to Kyoto, he is not likely to seek to embarrass Bush.
In September 2015, Russia intervened militarily in Syria’s civil war, propping up Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship as it teetered on the brink of collapse. This was the high point of Russia’s resurgence on the world stage and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to tilt the war in al-Assad’s favor helped make him a regional power broker. In addition to enhancing Putin’s stature, the operation led to strategic gains that gave Russia leverage vis-a-vis regional and Western powers. Syria was thus a status symbol for the Kremlin. Putin, who sees Russia as a great power on par with the US and China, attaches
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers on Monday unilaterally passed a preliminary review of proposed amendments to the Public Officers Election and Recall Act (公職人員選罷法) in just one minute, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, government officials and the media were locked out. The hasty and discourteous move — the doors of the Internal Administration Committee chamber were locked and sealed with plastic wrap before the preliminary review meeting began — was a great setback for Taiwan’s democracy. Without any legislative discussion or public witnesses, KMT Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), the committee’s convener, began the meeting at 9am and announced passage of the
In the weeks following the 2024 US presidential election, I have received one question more than any other from friends in Taiwan — how will Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House affect Taiwan and cross-Strait relations? Some Taiwan counterparts have argued that Trump hates China, so therefore he will support Taiwan, according to the logic that the enemy of one’s enemy is a friend. Others have expressed anxiety that Trump will put pressure on Taiwan to dramatically increase defense spending, or to compensate the United States for allegedly “stealing” America’s semiconductor sector. While I understand these hopes and concerns, I
In response to a failure to understand the “good intentions” behind the use of the term “motherland,” a professor from China’s Fudan University recklessly claimed that Taiwan used to be a colony, so all it needs is a “good beating.” Such logic is risible. The Central Plains people in China were once colonized by the Mongolians, the Manchus and other foreign peoples — does that mean they also deserve a “good beating?” According to the professor, having been ruled by the Cheng Dynasty — named after its founder, Ming-loyalist Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功, also known as Koxinga) — as the Kingdom of Tungning,
RSS