There is a serious discourse underway in Camp David. US President Barack Obama is treating G-8 leaders in his Maryland rural retreat with an agenda that spans from economic woes to a possible intervention in Syria.

It, however, remains to be seen what headway the world leaders can make given to understand the differences they have and the divergent prescriptions that they boast on such occasions. The fissures on the Korean Peninsula are also likely to figure out, which has kept denuclearisation and disarmament policies on tenterhooks. The fact that the US leadership will be meddling with the new French President Francois Hollande and the resurgent Russian czar Vladimir Putin makes the scenario quite debatable. With Russian and French concerns on Syria and world economy, respectively, it would be a gigantic task for Obama to end up with a point scoring memo, and one that should come to uphold the needs and expectations of the world at large.

The fact that this G-8, somewhat informal, summit was held just hours before the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s epoch-making meet in Chicago is quite meaningful. Many of the world leaders would travel to Illinois with the articulate assumptions of chartering a new route to the politico-military alliance and, moreover, chalk out a roadmap for exit from Afghanistan. Irrespective of the fact whether they decide for intervening in Syria or not, all that they need to do is to ensure that their decade-long commitments and engagement in Southwest Asia comes to an end. Dragging on in the hostile terrain where Al Qaeda, and the like, are very much on the ground — though ineffective at times — coupled with the comeback of Taleban should itself be a serious huddling point. There shouldn’t be any two opinions on exiting from Afghanistan, and if possible much before the scheduled timeline. There is no point in pondering over what will happen to the war-weary country next, as long as these developed nations lay out a generous Marshal Plan to rebuild the country. The Afghans themselves should comprehensively manage security and sovereignty. The dictum that the US and the West should keep poking their noses for better understanding and regional peace is simply unwarranted. A decade of presence in Afghanistan has compounded the situation and made the country a buffer zone of terrorism.

The G-8 leaders are duty bound to spell out a line of action as far as global economic recovery is concerned. The upheavals from Greece to Italy and the market shocks from the Wall Street are a serious concern, and it has been noted that from Pittsburgh to Cannes all of the summit decisions have fallen short of a real remedy. One hopes Camp David can herald a way out of the crisis that is judgmental in essence.