Introduction (revised, taken from the article)
U.S. President George W. Bush convened the first G-20 Summit in Washington, DC on November 15, 2008 in response to the financial and economic crisis. This event represented a major shift in the paradigm of global governance. Until then, the G-8 Summit—representing only industrial and mostly former colonial powers—had assumed the role of the global apex institution. The G-8 met once a year to discuss and potentially decide on major global economic and security issues. The global financial crisis of 2008 has made it inescapably clear that the G-8 forum is no longer adequate to lead as the global steering group. Another forum had to be found and the G-20 offered itself as a pragmatic alternative. This article briefly reviews the history of the G-8 and the G-20 forums, discusses their significance for the world and to Turkey and explores the way forward for the G-20 Summit.
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