Abstract
The new wave of protectionism in the global economy, which has been observed in the recent years, is accompanied by a specific narrative: The idea that globalization can be abused by authoritarian countries, who will use global economic connections to strengthen their power and to destabilize democratic states. Because of that, free trade should be limited to a group of like-minded nations, united by common values. The article interrogates this narrative and shows its logical flaws and inconsistencies. An attempt to link the access to the global trade to a small group of countries is likely to have negative impact on both economic wealth and political stability. One should not under-estimate the power of common interests as factors underlying the global economy.
Zusammenfassung
Die neue Welle des Protektionismus in der Weltwirtschaft, die in den letzten Jahren zu beobachten war, geht mit einem spezifischen Narrativ einher: der Vorstellung, dass die Globalisierung von autoritären Ländern missbraucht werden könne, die globale Wirtschaftsverflechtungen zur Stärkung ihrer Macht und zur Destabilisierung demokratischer Staaten nutzen. Daher sollte der Freihandel auf eine Gruppe gleichgesinnter, durch gemeinsame Werte vereinter Nationen beschränkt bleiben. Der Artikel hinterfragt dieses Narrativ und zeigt sowohl seine logischen Mängel als auch seine Widersprüche auf. Der Versuch, den Zugang zum Welthandel auf eine kleine Gruppe von Ländern zu beschränken, dürfte sich negativ auf wirtschaftlichen Wohlstand und politische Stabilität auswirken. Die Wirksamkeit gemeinsamer Interessen als Faktoren, die der Weltwirtschaft zugrunde liegen, sollte nicht unterschätzt werden.
Acknowledgment
The author is very grateful to Oliver Budzinski and Thomas Glauben, as well as two anonymous referees, for suggesting a number of important ideas and arguments. All mistakes remain my own.
Conflict of interest declaration
The author reports no conflicts of interest associated with this study. The author furthermore confirms that the paper has never been published before, is not submitted for consideration to another journal and will not be submitted to any other journal until the review process is finished.
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