Three upcoming summits -- the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Beijing, the annual East Asia Summit in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, and the G-20 summit in Brisbane, Australia -- will bring together a host of world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese, Chinese and Australian leaders. Although the world is at a turning point in its history, these summits will tinker at the margins, instead of boldly considering fundamental reforms to rules and institutions.
The current international crises and conflicts cry out for far-reaching changes in the global institutional structure, which has remained largely static for more than six decades. Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin was not exaggerating when he told the recent annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia, that the international order is broken because its rules have broken down. The specter of crises and conflicts multiplying looms large.
