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Largely the brainchild of Sir Bob Geldof, "Live 8" has consisted of several simultaneous concerts featuring some of the most popular artists of past decades in the UK & United States.

The "Live 8" concerts, scheduled to coincide with the upcoming G8 Summit beginning July 6th in Perthshire, Scotland, have been orchestrated as a platform to promote the "Make Poverty History" campaign.

The G8 (Group of 8) is a group of the eight leading industrialised nations of the world. Its member countries include the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy & Russia. This July marks the 31st G8 Summit - a meeting of the heads of government & other international officials, aimed at coordinating economic & other policies.

The "Make Poverty History" campaign's focus lies in generating awareness & exerting some leverage over the outcome of the Summit. In essence, it consists of three primary objectives, being the doubling of foreign aid to African nations, the cancellation of foreign debt & finally the reform of trade laws.

That the event itself has already made history is evident. But whether poverty will closely follow is questionable, to say the very least.

Not unlike its 1985 predecessor "Live Aid", the scepticism surrounding "Live 8" grows, as the outcome of the Summit perhaps becomes increasingly apparent. Most heads of government have publicly expressed their support with respect to increasing foreign aid & cancelling debt. At the risk of leaving the bitter aftertaste of cynicism, it is probably the least expensive way for statesmen to avoid faltering at the popularity stakes.

However, some G8 members have expressed their reservations with respect to increasing foreign aid to Africa, notably German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, deeming it "old thinking". There is increasing pressure to make such grants conditional upon improved governance - and understandably, given the sad history of foreign aid to Africa.

But the avoidance of discussion on issues of trade liberalisation with respect to Africa & the shifting focus towards climate change indicate that the Geldof campaign's third objective will in all likelihood crumble.

This morning's widely publicised challenge issued by US President George Bush, expressing his willingness to drop US farming subsidies in exchange for reciprocal EU action, is unlikely to be met. Recent EU political misgivings will most probably preclude agreement being reached between EU nations.

Speculation aside, cynics & hopefuls alike will remain alert to the tension-ridden streets of Perthshire, Scotland, in the next couple of days leading up to the critical G8 discussions.

The reputation of such meetings of delegates has risen in notoriety in recent years, given numerous incidents of civil unrest. The 1999 Seattle meeting of the World Trade Organisation was met with overwhelming protests, largely establishing the US anti-globalisation movement. The G8 summit of 2001, held in Genoa, Italy, led to large-scale clashes between police and demonstrators, resulting in many hospitalisations and the death of one protestor.

So, understandably, businesses lining the streets of Perthshire have taken steps to barricade their shopfronts in the event of a worst-case scenario.

And so the drums have been beaten & guitar strings strummed. Sir Geldof should be applauded for achieving his objective of raising mass awareness with respect to the Summit & the issues lining its agenda. Whether the generated awareness will translate into real action is a question which remains to be answered.

Sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/debt/Story/0,2763,1520774,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/ (Wikipedia online encyclopedia)
http://www.live8live.com/ (Official Live8 site)
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bushs-challenge-drop-subsidies/2005/07/04/1120329385677.html
http://www.g8.gov.uk (Official 31st G8 Summit site)
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/004650.php (see what worldwide Bloggers who convened with Geldof had to say about Live8)