Title: 38th G8 summit Content: thumb|right|Summit logo The 38th G8 summit was held at Camp David, Maryland in the United States on May 18-19, 2012. "G-8 summit to be held at Camp David, not Chicago" Chicago Tribune. March 5 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. The summit venue was moved from Chicago to rural Maryland in March 2012.G8 Information Centre, "White House Announces Change in Location and Date of 2012 G8 Summit," March 5, 2012; retrieved 2012-5-20. ==History== The Camp David summit of the Group of Eight (G8) was the 38th meeting in a series which began in 1976.US Dept. of State, About the G8; retrieved 2012-5-19. Previous G8 summits have been hosted by the United States at San Juan, Puerto Rico (1976); Williamsburg, Virginia (1983); Houston, Texas, Denver, Colorado (1997) and Sea Island, Georgia.G20/G8 France 2011, What is G8? ("Previous summits" section) ; retrieved 2012-5-21 The G8 and the summit are part of a consultation process. The G8 is not an international organization.G20-G8 France 2011, What is G8? ("Language" section) ; retrieved 2012-5-21. It is an informal group.US Dept. of State, G8 Frequently Asked Questions ("How does the G8 work?" section); retrieved 2012-5-21. ==Participants== The participants were the "core members" of the group:Rieffel, Lex. "Regional Voices in Global Governance: Looking to 2010 (Part IV)," Brookings. March 27, 2009; retrieved 2012-5-19.  ===Invited leaders=== thumb|right|Food security was the focus of a working lunch with African leaders who were invited. A number of national leaders are traditionally invited to attend the summit. They are asked to participate in some, but not all, G8 summit activities. The leaders of four African nations were invited by the US president: * Yayi Boni, PresidentQuandzie, Ekow. "President Mills to talk Africa’s food security at G-8 Summit on Obama invitation," Ghana MMA. May 4, 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. * Meles Zenawi Prime Minister * John Atta-Mills, President * Jakaya Kikwete, President The G8 leaders talked about making progress towards food security in Africa.WhiteHouse.gov, "Statement by the Press Secretary on the President’s Invitation to African Leaders to Join Camp David Summit," May 3, 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. Others were invited, including: * African Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka, President * African Union Yayi Boni, Chairperson * Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Strive Masiyiwa, ChairmanDomfeh, Kofi Adu. "AGRA issues strong call for G8 leaders to support African agriculture," Modern Ghana. 18 May 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. ==Schedule and Agenda== thumb|right|President Barack Obama hosts a working dinner on May 18. Seated clockwise from the President are: David Cameron, Dmitry Medvedev, Angela Merkel, Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso, Yoshihiko Noda, Mario Monti, Stephen Harper and François Hollande. The summit is intended as a venue for resolving differences among the G8 members.Reinalda, Bob and Bertjan Verbeek. (1998). Autonomous Policy Making by International Organizations, p. 205. Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda.UPI, "Italy Knocked for Alleged poor G8 Planning", July 7, 2009; retrieved 2012-5-19. Discussions at the 38th G8 summit included some issues from previous summits.Traynot, Ian et al. "G8 at Camp David: what the world wants to achieve," Guardian (UK). 17 May 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. The G8 discussions included a range of topics, including * EnergyWhiteHouse.gov, "Wrapping Up the G8 Summit at Camp David"; retrieved 2012-5-19. * Afghanistan * Changes taking place across the Middle East and North Africa * Climate change * Food security * Greece in the euro zoneTrifunov, David. "Greece, economy top G8 summit agenda," Global Post (Canada). May 19, 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. * Iran’s nuclear energy plans * Nutrition ==Protesters and demonstrations== thumb|right|Security in the region of the presidential home at Camp David is well established Planners anticipated protest groups and other activists.Balde, Lisa and Phil Rogers. "Adbusters Wants 50,000 G8/NATO Protesters in Chicago," NBCChicago (US), 27 January 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. When the venue for the summit was changed from Chicago, a White House spokesman said security and the possibility of protests were not factors in the decision. "G8 summit switched to Camp David," Belfast Telegraph (UK). 6 March 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. Some protest groups took credit for the change of venue.McFeatters, Dale. "G8 summit moves from Chicago to Camp David," Korea Times (ROK). March 8, 2012; retrieved 2012-5-19. ==Business opportunity== For some, the G8 summit was a profit-generating event; as for example, the G8 Summit magazines which have been published since 1998. Prestige Media: 2012 G8 Summit Publication Distribution ; retrieved 2012-5-19. Local businesses near Camp David are expecting more people in the area and profits because of the summit.Brown, Matthew Hay. "Frederick Co. welcomes G-8 summit move to Camp David," Baltimore Sun, March 6, 2012; WPMT-TV Fox43, "Businesses in Gettysburg Hoping to Cash In on G8 Summit"; retrieved 2012-5-19. ==Related pages== * List of G8 summits