Thinking About the Future of Global Summits Post G8

On Wednesday, I asked if a high profile G8 summit was still worthwhile. Today, a few opinions on the aftermath of what was undoubtedly an unproductive summit. President Obama rightly sees the summit process in transition:

"I think we're in a transition period. We're trying to find the right shape that combines the efficiency and capacity for action with inclusiveness," Obama told a news conference on the final day of the summit in Italy.

"And my expectation is that over the next several years you'll see an evolution and we'll be able to find the right combination. The one thing I will be looking forward to is fewer summit meetings," he said.

The President's quote brings to mind Moises Naim's recent essay in Foreign Policy on minilateralism. Naim, you'll remember, recently spoke at NDN's event ahead of the G20 summit.

David Rothkopf gives the summit a "mixed grade and a semi-eulogy" and agrees that the President spending less time at summits is a good thing.

Simon Johnson sees "messed up" messaging and seems pretty ticked about the handling of global energy markets.

And Daniel Drezner finds a policy trap on the Doha round, sounding not particularly optimistic.

On the up side, the Senate is planning to take up energy and climate legislation in the fall, which will hopefully be helpful timing in terms of one of the big international summits of the year: Copenhagen in December.