[Plenary Session III] Nationalism or Internationalism?

Session: Plenary Session III
Date/Time: April 24, 2019 / 09:00-10:30

Moderator:
Lee Chung Min, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Speakers:
Pascal Boniface, French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs
Edwin J. Feulner, The Heritage Foundation
G. John Ikenberry, Princeton University
Yuli Tamir, Shenkar College of Engineering and Design
Paul D. Wolfowitz, American Enterprise Institute

Panel Description
The “imagined community” has become a “plausible community” within the national border. With the end of the Cold War and American preponderance, liberal internationalism had been the uncontested norm. However, growing inequality coupled with the 2008 global financial crisis and the Eurozone debt crisis have led to the rise of nationalism. Indeed, President Donald Trump’s aversion to multilateralism has led to the decline of conventional multilateral cooperation. Across Europe, mainstream parties have been steadily losing ground over the past few years to more extreme forces on the right and the left. With Xi Jinping’s “China dream,” Chinese nationalism has intensified. How can political leaders strike the right balance between domestic political interests and international cooperation? Can ideals tied to universal human rights, individual freedom, and democracy survive in an era of rising nationalism? Will the current multilateral organizations, such as the EU and the WTO, be reformed or disbanded in response to growing nationalist pressures?