Big Fat Story
Major leaders condemn the shocking revelation.
When Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, and Nicolas Sarkozy stood united in front of the cameras and broke the news Friday that Iran had a secret, underground nuclear site, other issues facing the G-20 took a backseat. The trio strongly condemned the renegade nation's ongoing obstinacy and made it clear there would be consequences. “The international community has no choice today but to draw a line in the sand," Brown said. President Dmitry Medvedev, still in the afterglow of Obama's concession to nix a missile site slated for Eastern Europe, also hinted at harsh sanctions for Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's response to the near-universal condemnation? "This is not nice," he said on his media blitz after the announcement. Ahmadinejad claimed the outrage was manufactured for the media, and that the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency had been aware of the nuke site all along. Politico reports that Obama’s hand was forced into the unexpected announcement, because news of the site was about to break nationally.
Photo: Richard Drew / AP Photo
When the Group of Eight met in Italy two months ago, the G-20 summit was trumpeted as the moment when large strides would be taken toward a global accord to combat climate change. Unfortunately, things didn't quite pan out that way. In fact, the Guardian reports that Barack Obama, in a stunning reversal, has downplayed the urgency of reaching a deal on climate change at the upcoming environmental summit in Copenhagen. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's comments reflected the striking change in tone: "I would cite what President Obama said to us...that while Copenhagen is a very important meeting we should not view it as a make or break on climate change. It will be a step, an ongoing step, in an important world process." The G-20 summit did produce one significant step: A removal of fossil-fuel subsidies, one of Obama's signature issues. But even that agreement does not include a deadline for action.
Photo: Feng Li / Getty Images
But does it go far enough?
Seeking to avoid another economic meltdown, the G-20 leaders agreed to new restrictions for banks that would reduce outsize banker bonuses and reckless risk-taking. Critics immediately chimed in, saying the “toothless” agreement lacked the proper tools to produce real change. "The countries will just discuss changes and make statements," an economist told The Wall Street Journal. Still, if G-20 nations do not follow through on their agreement to rein in the banking industry, one leader will be able to say "I told you so." Nicolas Sarkozy of France—labeled a "drama queen" for saying he would walk out of the summit if firm economic action was not taken—may end up appearing in the right if a lack of regulation ends in disaster.
Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images
What Just Happened at the G-20?
An Iran bombshell, a bankers’ bonus deal, and a climate-change cop-out. The Daily Beast presents the highs and lows of the G-20 summit.
Power spouses take a tour of Steel City.
While the leaders of the G-20 hammered out agreements on climate change and banking regulations, their spouses took a tour of the Steel City, where Michelle Obama praised the power of the arts to improve people's lives. As the host of the “spousal program,” Obama brought her peers to the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, where they enjoyed performances by students along with renowned artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Trisha Yearwood, and Sara Bareilles. Afterward, the motley crew repaired to the Andy Warhol Museum, where they got to try their hands at the silk-screening technique made famous by the legendary Pop artist. (It's unlikely that the spouses got a look at the autographed nude photo of Jackie Onassis that was recently discovered in Warhol's immense stash of brick-a-brack in Pittsburgh.) Though Obama and her fashionable counterpart in France, Carla Bruni, feature prominently in most G-20 photos, Japan's kooky first lady, Miyuki Hatoyama, who says she’s ridden in a UFO, also generated a buzz that helped push her husband into the spotlight.
Photo: Charles Dharapak / AP Photo
“The G-8 is not dead, but is in clear agony.”
Though Iran's secret nuclear site dominated the headlines of the G-20 summit, the gathering may be remembered by history as the moment when major developing nations finally took a first step toward equality with the more exclusive Group of Eight. For many years, countries with growing economic influence such as Brazil, India, and China have lobbied hard for a stronger voice in the Western-dominated Group of Eight meetings. In Pittsburgh, the developing world scored a major victory, as it was announced that the G-20, not the G-8, would become the international forum to address economic issues. The foreign-policy adviser to the president of Brazil could not hide his jubilation, saying "The G-8 is not dead, but is in clear agony." Though many bureaucratic aspects of the change in policy have yet to be determined, there is little doubt that the international dynamic has changed significantly. "It's basically pulling international cooperation into the 21st century," one U.S. official told the Guardian.
Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images
Thousands participated in “The People’s March.”
Thousands peacefully protested the G-20 Summit on Friday, but riot police used tear gas, fired bean bags, and used flash-bang grenades and batons to push back crowds in what civil liberties groups are calling “intimidation” just a day earlier. Hundreds of riot police broke up a gathering near the University of Pittsburgh campus on Thurdsay, and legal observers saw police arresting students who weren’t even involved in the protest. In total, 66 arrests were made on Thursday, at least five people received medical attention, and 19 businesses were damaged. Experts say anarchists in the crowd were creating “mayhem.” Friday’s protest was sanctioned by the city, while Thursday’s demonstrators had not received a permit.
Photo: Matt Rourke / AP Photo
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