McCain, Brazil and the G8
Posted by jonathanfryer on Thursday, 27th March, 2008
John McCain, the US Republican presidential hopeful, has made the Brazilians happy by suggesting that Brazil, along with India, should be admitted to an enlarged G8 — the club of the world´s leading economies. This is actually the lead international story in today´s O Diário do Nordeste, Fortaleza´s best daily newspaper. It makes a lot of sense, given the rise of the BRICs, about which I have blogged before. But other parts of McCain’s foreign affairs manifesto are much more disconcerting. In particular, McCain has urged that Russia should be excluded from the G8, because of its Cold War-like recent behavious. Apart from the fact that such a movce would never be agreed to by the other leading industrial nations, it is an inflammatory and irresponsible suggestion. We´ve had eight years of one reckless Republican nutter in the White House. The last thing the world needs is another.
The sad thing is, the months of protracted bitching between the Clinton and Obama camps have given the Republicans something of a free ride. Which means that unless the Democrats get their act together soon, a McCain win is distinctly on the cards. In which case, God help America, and God help the world.
