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Gordon Smith Op-Ed Contributions
Mexico has the G20 on the right track
In an op-ed to The Ottawa Citizen, CIGI Distinguished Fellow Gordon Smith argues that the Mexican government's hosting of the first ever meeting of G20 foreign ministers "is an important initiative and...deserves congratulations."
Mexico needs to work on getting G20 back on track
CIGI Distinguished Fellow and former Canadian G7-8 Sherpa Gordon Smith critiques the final communique from the 2011 G20 Summit in Cannes, France, and offers a a few predictions for the G20 under the Mexican presidency.
CIGI experts discuss governing Libya after Gadhafi
As Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) forces continue their invasion of Tripoli, we speak to CIGI experts Gordon Smith, Bessma Momani and Mark Sedra about what steps the rebel alliance, and global governance bodies, should take to create a more peaceful and democratic order after the seemingly inevitable demise of the Muammar Gadhafi regime.
UN Security Council Reform Could Alter Global Relevance of G8, G20
"(Canada) must realize that it is essential the G20 succeed and act accordingly. If it doesn’t, the risk is that we shall be dropped from the inner table," CIGI Distinguished Fellow Gordon Smith writes in exploring the possible ramifications for global summitry if the UN Secuirty Council was expanded to nine permanent seats.
G7 to G8 to G20: Charting the evolution of and emerging challenges in global governance
Can the G8 and the G20 continue to co-exist? These are among the key questions outlined by former Canadian G7-8 sherpa and CIGI Distinguished Fellow Gordon Smith in tracking the evolution of the G7 to G20.
The G8 retains its relevance in France, but for how long?
Last week’s G8 summit in Deauville, France, was met with mixed reaction. Some commentators questioned whether it would prove the organization’s last official summit, while others praised the leaders’ group for publishing official accountability reports on summit commitments. In this week’s interview, we speak to CIGI Distinguished Fellow and former Canadian G7-8 Sherpa Gordon Smith, who sounds a warning for Canada’s government to rethink its G8 and G20 strategies.
Time for Canada to reconnect with the world
With revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa, the lack of foreign affairs discussion in the recent federal election made Canada seem "as if it was on another planet," CIGI Distinguished Fellow Gordon Smith writes. With a newly minted cabinet in Ottawa, Smith argues it's time for Canada to re-engage with the outside world.
We're running out of chances
Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but it rarely advances the national interest. At a time when Canada's voice in key international forums is increasingly muted, next week's G20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea, affords an opportunity for Canada to contribute more prominently to the collective global effort to make timely, effective decisions.
The last thing we need is a G12 competing with a G8
Ottawa must ensure that a G12 competing with the G8 is not the follow-up or, worse, the result of the summits just held in Canada. That would be a major setback. The last thing the world needs is a rival G12. But if we persist in excluding China, India and other major developing countries, that’s the result we’ll face, writes CIGI Distinguished Fellow Gordon Smith
Don't turn back from the summit
Changes must be made to address runaway costs and security concerns, but getting the world's leaders together in person remains vitally important, says CIGI Distinguished Fellow Gordon Smith.