G8 summits have always consisted of several tons of media hype and a few ounces of definitive substance, and there is little reason to believe that the one taking place this week in St. Petersburg will be different. On the eve of each new summit, news consumers are deluged with a mountain of analysis about how crucial this one is compared to previous ones, how much is at stake on the grand scheme of things, how much world peace and prosperity ride on the rapport of eight individuals who will meet and talk for a few hours.
Though the eight nations represented account for over half of world GDP, this elite club has no real power except for that of the sound bite. If we were to extrapolate backward and review the outcome of each summit meeting over the last several years, we see that these eight-person chats change little, if anything, "in the grand scheme of things." Trade talks still flounder, terrorism runs amok, and the spread of HIV continues unabated.
Be that as it may, countries fearing the resurgence of Russian power are hoping that Western democracies will take President Vladimir Putin to task over his autocratic methods, both at home in the "near abroad." These countries, the Baltic states among them, are alarmed at the increasing dependence of the many on the energy surplus of the few 's i.e., Russia 's and want assurances that the Kremlin won't turn off the heat in the dead of winter as it did in Ukraine earlier this year.
For a variety of reasons, it won't happen (not least of all because it would simply be bad manners for guests to dress down their host). After a few grand pronouncements and wonderfully staged handshakes and smiles, the leaders of the world's elite club will go home and all will be forgotten.
But hope is not lost. When speaking of the search for common ground with Russia, far more important than an ephemeral G8 summit is the Finnish presidency of the European Union, which began on July 1. For reasons geographic, historic and economic, Finland enjoys a special relationship with Russia among the 25 members of the EU, and its six-month tour at the helm of the rotating presidency offers a unique opportunity to accomplish what no G8 summit (especially one held in Russia) could hope to in terms of bringing Russia closer to the family of democratic nations, which is in everyone's interests.
Finland's leadership wasted no time in announcing that it would make relations with Russia a priority for its presidency. Among its plans, Finland wants to revive the Northern Dimension, a dusty EU project from the 1990s that would focus on developing Russia's northwestern territories adjacent to the Baltics and Finland. Specifically, the project aims to strengthen the environment, health and social security of the region while becoming a permanent working platform for EU-Russia relations.
Compared with the hallow announcements that will echo out of St. Petersburg next week, the Northern Dimension represents a manageable, practical way to engage the eastern neighbor. Russia, after all, is too big for any one project or entity to take on; it would be wisest, then, to try reforming it one region at a time.
