A survey conducted by the Office of research of politics from Brookings Institution, Washington, showed that 63% of authorities from 16 countries are in favor of a larger version of the G8 with the inclusion of Brazil, India, China, South Africa and Mexico.

The survey also showed that 85% of respondents believe the world needs a mechanism that serve as a world guide however only 15% believe that G8 is performing this task.

The G8 is a group that brings together the seven most industrialized economies in the world, plus Russia. The group has its annual meeting in the island of Hokkaido in Japan, and Brazil participates as a guest country.

In the survey, were heard 76 government officials and experts from 16 countries from developed and emerging economies, including Brazil, United States, Germany, Britain, France, Argentina, Russia and China.

G8 Perception

According to the survey, only 10% believe that the G8 is seen by the world public opinion as an effective mechanism for international cooperation and only 8% believes that the composition of the G8 is seen by the world public opinion as legitimate.

The survey also showed that, among the Americans heard, 67% believe that the next president of the United States should express support for the idea that the next meeting of the G8 in 2009 in Italy, should expand version of the body including the G5 to the group.

The survey says that by 2050, 8 billion between 9 billion people on the planet will come from non-Western countries and only 1 billion will come from industrialized nations of the West.

”The G8 meetings are intended to deal with global challenges, but the overall majority is not present, currently, says the study.

Analysis

The survey was conducted by Colin Bradford, researcher-member of the Brookings Institution, and analysis of data contained in research in the study “The United States and reform of international forums in an Era of Transformation”, also signed by Bradford.

According to him, the structure of the G8 meeting is obsolete, an aberration of the century 20,  posing in a full century 21 as a group able to exercise global leadership in a world in which the G8 countries are clear minority in terms of population, culture, religion and sizes of their economies.