It is easy to be cynical about G8 summits. The annual meetings of the heads of state of the leading industrialized nations are equal parts political theater, photo opportunity and security nightmare. Each summit produces a lofty statement that echoes its predecessors, is invariably bland despite (or perhaps because of) having been worked out in agonizing detail in advance, and contains exhortations rather than commitments. Their consistency suggests that the leaders of the most powerful nations on the planet have not acted to confront the problems they identify each year as serious. Observers complain of a "compliance deficit."

This year's meeting, the 31st since 1975, was different. The host, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, made clear that he would focus on a few issues rather than address the laundry list of previous discussions. His concerns were debt relief for the world's poorest nations and climate change.

The result was unprecedented. The assembled leaders agreed to double aid to Africa from $25 billion to $50 billion by 2010. This comes on the heels of the finance ministers' agreement last month, ratified at the summit, to write off $40 billion in debt of the 18 most heavily indebted countries, 14 of which are in sub-Sahara Africa. In addition, the leaders agreed to provide $9 billion in aid over three years to the Palestinian Authority. With those funds, the PA can establish a genuinely democratic government and provide the security that is the foundation of any real peace in the Middle East.