G8 gives unpopular host Nicolas Sarkozy a platform to polish his image (The Christian Science Monitor)

Berlin – Leaders of the G8 countries are discussing a wide range of issues at their two-day meeting in the French beach resort of Deauville: the Arab Spring, nuclear energy, International Monetary Fund leadership, and rules and regulations for the Internet.

One item is not on the official agenda, but no less important for G8 host Nicolas Sarkozy, is the French leader's need to boost his chances for reelection next year.

“Mr. Sarkozy is under no illusions about his popularity in France – it’s low,” says Philippe Moreau Defarges of the French Institute for International Relations IFRI. “Even though the French don’t care much about the G8 summit, it’s an opportunity for him to show himself as a leader.”

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Mr. Sarkozy is probably aware that his image needs some polishing. France’s initial reaction to the uprising in Tunisia and Egypt was seen as highly embarrassing: Initially it stood by the dictators Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak; former French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie even offered the Tunisian government help in quelling the rebellion.

Now Sarkozy wants to do it right: He has invited the new leaders of Tunisia and Egypt to Deauville, and lobbied the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support the transition to democracy in a number of Arab countries with up to 3.5 billion euros per year.

Sarkozy's cyberintiativeWhile his G8 colleagues back Sarkozy on the Arab Spring, they mistrust his plans to regulate the Internet.

The Deauville meeting was preceded by a so-called "e-G8" forum in Paris earlier this week, where the French president invited top executives of the world’s largest Internet companies as well as government officials.

“The Internet revolution doesn’t have a flag, it belongs to everyone,” Sarkozy said in an address to the e-G8. Having praised the Arab rebels who used Facebook and Twitter to coordinate their actions, Sarkozy went on to insist that the Internet was not a parallel universe. “Nobody should forget that governments are the only legitimate representatives of the will of the people in our democracies.”

France is known for its tough stance on cybercrime; it’s the only European country that cuts digital pirates off from the Internet. But particularly the US looks with suspicion at any plans to impose rules on the medium.

It’s unlikely the Deauville communique will contain anything more concrete than references to protecting e-business and copyrights, says Mr. Moreau Defarges. “This is a PR event, an opportunity for Sarkozy to present himself as a modern president, have his picture taken next to all these Internet pioneers.”

The nuclear questionOn the nuclear issue, the front lines are different – it’s Germany against the rest.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose government is committed to phasing out nuclear energy altogether, asked her G8 colleagues this morning to join her call for mandatory stress tests on nuclear power stations around the world.

On Wednesday, the EU agreed on such safety tests for its 143 power plants, but France, which gets almost 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear reactors, says it is unlikely to reduce its reliance on atomic energy.

Then there's the post of the IMF managing director. After Dominique Strauss-Kahn – up until two weeks ago not just head of the IMF but also a powerful potential rival in the candidacy for French president – had to quit his job over allegations of sexual harassment and rape, the EU countries agreed on another Frenchman for the job: Finance Minister Christine Lagarde.

The G8 will not decide on her candidacy, but Europe, and particularly Sarkozy, will be using the occasion to lobby for Japanese and US support. They will need it, given that the emerging market economies have made clear that it is time for one of theirs to get the prestigious post.

So, can Sarkozy profit domestically by successfully hosting the 2011 G8 summit? Moreau Defarges is skeptical: “Deauville is short and the elections are a year away. Much can happen in a year.”

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Britain ends unpopular Iraq mission

British airmen patrol near the fence at their main base at Basra Airport in southern Iraq in February 2009.Britain withdrawing its 170 troops from the countryBritain's defense secretary says the troops completed their task of training the Iraqi navyAt the height of the war, 46,000 British troops were deployed to Iraq

(CNN) -- Britain was withdrawing its troops Sunday from Iraq, ending a role that began with the 2003 U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, British defense officials said.

The announcement that Britain was withdrawing its 170 troops came days earlier by Liam Fox, the defense secretary, who said the troops had completed their mission to train Iraqi naval forces.

"We now look forward to a strong, long-term defense relationship with Iraq," Fox told the House of Commons when he announced Wednesday that British troops would leave the country.

The announcement effectively ended Britain's role in Iraq, a role that was widely unpopular in the United Kingdom. About 179 British troops were killed during operations in Iraq.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Britain when the war began, protesting the deployment of British troops to join then-President George Bush's "Coalition of the Willing." At the height of the war, more than 46,000 British troops were deployed primarily in and around the southern port city of Basra.

In 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown ordered an inquiry into the UK's participation in the war.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair testified during the inquiry that Iraq needed to be confronted over its ambitions to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Britain ended its combat operations in Iraq in 2009 but maintained a small contingent, primarily members of the Royal Navy, to train Iraqi sailors and marines at the southern Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr. The remaining 150 or so military personnel were temporarily withdrawn in July 2009 after the Iraqi parliament failed to pass an agreement for their continued presence.

Britain will leave behind a small contingent to protect its personnel at its embassy in Baghdad. Additionally, Fox said a small number of British troops will continue in a NATO training mission in Iraq.

CNN's Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

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