Globalization Narratives: Common Interests or Common Values?

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.