Security topic of pre-G8 summit conference

In preparation for the G8 summit that began Tuesday in Sea Island, Ga. several academics, think tank groups and public officials participated in a two-day conference held at IU last weekend. The conference examined issues the Group of 8 summit members were likely to discuss and focused predominately on international security and terrorism. \nThe G8 summit is an annual gathering of economic and political figures from eight of the world's most industrialized countries, which include the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Germany. The venue of the G8 summit rotates annually among the member states. It was hosted last year in Evian, France. The preparatory conference is usually held a few days prior to the summit in the host nation. \nPaula Scherschel, associate director of the Center for International Business Education and Research, participated at the IU conference. Scherschel said the preparatory conference is usually held near the G8 summit venue and said it was unusual for IU to be selected as the conference location.\n"Part of the reason IU was chosen is because we are so well wired," Scherschel said. "We have the technology to handle the interactive video and Web casting."\nThe conference included a video conference between participates at IU and scholars from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, both of which are in Washington, D.C.\nThe theme of the preparatory conference was "Security, Prosperity and Freedom: Why America needs the G8." Several IU professors and visiting scholars gave presentations during the conference on research papers that will be complied together into a book on the subject. \nProfessor Michele Fratianni, chairman of business economics and public policy at the Kelley School of Business, presented a paper he coauthored with Professor Heejoon Kang titled, "Borders and International Terrorism." The paper examined possible economic and political ramifications from the United States unilateral efforts in combating global terrorism. \nFratianni said the United States was carrying too large of a burden by combating terror on its own. Many industrialized nations, including several G8 member states, benefit directly from the United States' global crackdown on terrorism but often do not contribute financial, military or political resources to combating terrorism, he said. This free riding by industrialized nations creates a disproportionate burden of maintaining global security on the United States.\n"Combating terrorism has benefits and costs," Fratianni said. "It's important the U.S. seek the corporation of others to spread the cost and combat terrorism better."\nKang said it was not in the long-term interest of industrialized countries to rely solely on the United States to fight terrorism. As the country improves its domestic defenses and border security, opportunist terrorist attacks may shift to other industrialized countries.\n"Other countries will no longer afford to free ride entirely because they will get hit," Kang said. "Terrorists will look for a softer spot to attack."\n-- Contact nation and world editor Rami Chami at rchami@indiana.edu.