World leaders are set to gather in the French resort of Deauville for a summit of the G8 bloc of wealthy nations.
A shift in global influence to emerging powers such as India and China, who are not in the G8, has led to the group's relevance being questioned.
But analysts say recent events such as uprisings in the Arab world and Japan's nuclear crisis have given the group a new sense of purpose.
Also on the agenda is how little or how much the internet should be regulated.
A group of internet bosses - including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google boss Eric Schmidt - are heading to the summit.
Points of frictionThe global economy and climate change will also be discussed at the two-day gathering for the leaders of the US, Russia, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada.
US President Barack Obama is en route to the meeting having completed his state visit to the UK. He will later continue to Poland.
Leaders from Tunisia and Egypt and the head of the Arab League will also be at Deauville for talks on a massive aid plan to help their transition to democracy.
The long-standing presidents of Tunisia and Egypt were overthrown earlier this year in popular uprisings.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall, in Deauville, says that despite President Obama's appeal in London on Wednesday for democratic unity and leadership, there may well be friction at the Normandy beach resort that is the G8 summit venue.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev - one of the first to arrive - has opposed air strikes on Libya from the start, though he may offer to mediate in that conflict, says our correspondent.
A Nato-led coalition is operating in Libya under a UN mandate to protect civilians as forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi battle rebels.
Our correspondent says one thing G8 leaders will be able to agree on is the need to help Egypt and Tunisia if their revolutions are to survive - an issue that will be the summit's centrepiece.
But, she adds, the question is, in these economically difficult times how much are the G8 countries prepared to give?
Speaking in London on Wednesday, President Obama rejected arguments that the rise of superpowers like China and India spelled the demise of American and European influence in the world.
"Perhaps, the argument goes, these nations represent the future, and the time for our leadership has passed. That argument is wrong. The time for our leadership is now," he said.
"It was the United States, the United Kingdom, and our democratic allies that shaped a world in which new nations could emerge and individuals could thrive."
Chat about this story w/ TalkitaSource: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-europe-13554836
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