Diplomatic Discussion speaker advocates for globalized economy
September 16, 2024UNC Global Affairs
For decades, liberalism, free trade and globalization have dominated U.S. foreign policy. According to Daniel W. Drezner, the bipartisan consensus that has reinforced this policy approach has unraveled in recent years.
Drezner, a distinguished professor of international politics at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, spoke at this year’s first Diplomatic Discussion on Wednesday, Sept. 11 in the Nelson Mandela Auditorium at the FedEx Global Education Center.
UNC Global Affairs and the Global Research Institute organized Drezner’s visit around the question: “Whither Globalization?” Past Diplomatic Discussions speakers — such as U.S. Ambassador Katherine Tai, the U.S. Trade Representative, and Financial Times journalist Rana Foroohar — have also spoken in the “Whither Globalization?” series, with both highlighting ill effects of globalization.
Drezner’s presentation, titled “Globalization, RIP?”, discussed the past, present and future of U.S. foreign economic policy. According to Drezner, the protectionist trade policies of recent years are surprising to many who lived through the neoliberal era.
“This is the first time we have seen a retreat from globalization since the end of World War II,” Drezner said. “This shift will have dramatic ramifications for global security and international economics.”
Drezner defines globalization as the reduction of barriers to the exchange of goods, services and ideas across borders. He explained that, historically, despite governments’ attempts to raise trade barriers, consumers and producers often find ways to maintain global trade.
“Some of the most important pieces of technology that you rely on, rely on global supply chains and rely on globalized production,” Drezner said. “Unless you don’t want to have the next generation of smart phone, or unless you want to have a more troglodyte version of a computer, you’re going to care about globalization.”
Given the upcoming U.S. presidential election, ongoing challenges around the world and the recent shift towards protectionism, Drezner’spresentation was timely.
“I was thrilled to see so many students come to hear Dan Drezner push back on the idea that globalization was a failure that resulted in net harm to the United States,” Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Chief Global Officer Barbara Stephenson said. “This lecture gave students a solid foundation to understand the ongoing debate about the impact of neoliberal policies, and the quality of their questions reminded me again how remarkable Carolina students are.”
After Drezner’s presentation, Stephenson moderated a conversation with Drezner, taking several questions from Carolina students in the audience. Following the event, students continued asking Drezner questions during an informal reception. These interactions between students and speakers are central to Carolina’s Diplomacy Initiative, which provides opportunities for students to encounter shared global challenges and practice the skills used by diplomats to address them. After Diplomatic Discussions, students are encouraged to engage personally with the speakers and learn more about their expertise and insights.
The following day, the Global Research Institute hosted a luncheon for Drezner with a group of Carolina faculty members, representing the departments of history, political science, public policy, global studies and military science. Drezner and the faculty members discussed themes raised during his lecture the previous night and related questions, including trade, manufacturing and nation-building.
“The conversation between Drezner and faculty members was at once insightful and stimulating,” Peter Coclanis, director of the Global Research Institute, said. “It proved a perfect punctuation point for Drezner’s memorable visit to Chapel Hill.”
In addition to his role on the faculty at Tufts, Drezner is a prominent scholar, teacher, author and commentator. He serves as a nonresident fellow for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and as co-director of the Fletcher School’s Russian and Eurasia Program. He has written seven books and edited three others on economic sanctions, global regulatory coordination and shifts in the marketplace of ideas.
“Tonight’s discussion is exactly what Carolina’s Diplomacy Initiative is all about,” Stephenson said in her concluding remarks at Wednesday night’s event. “These Diplomatic Discussions bring thought leaders and foreign affairs practitioners to Chapel Hill to give a firsthand look at how to find global solutions to shared global challenges.”
Stephenson then invited attendees to the next Diplomatic Discussion on Thursday, Sept. 19, when Geeta Pasi will reflect on her diplomatic career in Africa. Pasi served as U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Chad and as principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. Register here.