AIG Global Trade Series 2022

Global Trade in a Complex and Contested World

The open trading system is under pressure. As countries increasingly seek to leverage economic interdependence for geopolitical gain, what does it mean for the future of globalisation? The 2022 edition of the AIG Global Trade Series explores the competition and connectedness that characterise the current trade landscape.

As the global economy emerges from the pandemic, global trade flows and supply chains are being rewired. At the same time, intensifying regulatory competition around data and technology,  between states and within regions, is further straining the open trading system. With multilateral trade governance at its weakest in decades, how can the system adapt to these challenges and to the impact of climate change?

But the most powerful challenge to the future of globalisation comes from the corrosive influence of geopolitical competition. Will Russia's war in Ukraine mark a watershed moment for the future of globalisation? Can countries be cut off from the global economy, and if so, what would that mean?

With global leadership a contested space, trade policy is politicised and the value of trade agreements measured in terms of wider national strategy and security considerations. Can open trade continued globalisation survive this shift "from Doha to Westphalia"?

These are just some of the issues explored in the 2022 edition of AIG Global Trade Series.

Partners

The Global Trade Series is a collaboration between AIG and the following international organisations with leading expertise on global trade: the Aspen Institute Germany; Chatham House (UK); the Clingendael Institute (The Netherlands); Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown University Law Center (US); the International Chamber of Commerce (UK and France); the Italian Institute for International Political Studies; the Jacques Delors Institute (France); the Research Institute of Economy, Trade & Industry (Japan) and the St. Gallen Endowment for Prosperity through Trade (Switzerland).

Institute of International Economic Law, Georgetown University Law Center

The Institute of International Economic Law (IIEL) is the focal point for the study of international economic law at Georgetown Law, serving as a fulcrum point for legal and policy discussions in international trade, international financial regulation, international monetary affairs, transnational business and international tax.

The Institute of International Economic Law (IIEL) was founded in 1999 by the late University Professor John H. Jackson, one of the founders of today’s GATT/WTO system. It is now directed by Agnes N. Williams Research Professor of Law Chris Brummer, who leads an array of accomplished faculty members to facilitate thoughtful and scholarly research and teaching, convene stakeholder meetings and conferences bringing together public and private sector leaders, and offer Executive Education on a broad range of subjects that concern the law of international economic activity. The Institute actively approaches these fields as interrelated and at times overlapping policy spheres that impact how law is devised, practiced and enforced. The Institute hosts two interdisciplinary research hubs, the Sovereign Debt Forum (SDF) and the Center on Inclusive Trade and Development (CITD).

Housed at Georgetown Law, with the largest array of courses in international economic law in the country, IIEL offers students, faculty, alumni and friends the opportunity to routinely interact with top scholars, policymakers, law firms, and think tanks. As part of a top research university, IIEL strives to make available unparalleled opportunities for learning and study based on its location in the heart of Washington DC, and longstanding connections with a variety of global institutions and organizations.


Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs

Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a world-leading policy institute based in London.

Its mission is to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world.

It engages governments, the private sector, civil society and its members in open debate and private discussions about the most significant developments in international affairs. Each year, the institute runs more than 300 private and public events – conferences, workshops and roundtables – in London and internationally with partners. Its convening power attracts world leaders and the best analysts in their respective fields from across the globe.

Its research work focuses on independent and rigorous analysis of critical global, regional and country-specific challenges and opportunities.


The Clingendael Institute

Clingendael - the Netherlands Institute of International Relations - is the leading Dutch think-tank and academy for international relations. Its research, training and public debate inspires and equips societies, businesses and governments to encourage a secure, sustainable, prosperous and just world. Clingendael Research provides independent, interdisciplinary, evidence-based and policy-relevant recommendations about urgent international issues. Clingendael analyses the most important trends and issues in international environments and policy, evaluates international policy, studies opinions concerning and buy-in for international policy, develops new ideas and approaches to clarifying international developments, and provides advice on how to approach critical international issues.


The Jacques Delors Institute

The Jacques Delors Institute (JDI) is a European think tank founded in 1996 by Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commision. Its mission is to conduct independent research and to develop policy proposals both for Europe's decision-makers and for a broader audience, in view of contributing to debates on the European integration. It promotes the exchange of ideas through the organisation of experts' seminars and public conferences convening European leaders. Areas of expertise rang from trade policy, energy policy, EU budget, labour and social policies, European institutions and governance, European identity. The Institute is based in Paris and its team works closely with the Jacques Delors Centre (Hertie School of Governance) in Berlin founded in 2014, and the Europe - Jacques Delors created in Brussels in 2020.


International Chamber of Commerce UK & International Chamber of Commerce France

ICC is the world’s largest business organization representing more than 45 million companies, employing 1 billion people in over 100 countries. ICC’s core mission is to make business work for everyone, every day, everywhere. Through a unique mix of advocacy, solutions and standard setting, we promote international trade, responsible business conduct and a global approach to regulation, in addition to providing market-leading dispute resolution services. Our members include many of the world’s leading companies, SMEs, business associations and local chambers of commerce. 

ICC United Kingdom is the representative office of ICC in the UK and represents the voice of UK companies at intergovernmental level.

ICC France is the representative office of ICC in France and represents the voice of French companies at intergovernmental level. Its more than 150 members include many of the French leading companies, business associations and local chambers of commerce. ICC France has ten working commissions composed by representatives of member companies and organizations who are experts in their fields. Those commissions mirror the ICC international commissions in almost every theme. 


Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)

The Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) in an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank providing leading research and viable policy options to government officials, business executives and the public at large wishing to better understand international issues. Founded in Milan, Italy, in 1934 thanks to the support of a group of businessmen led by Alberto Pirelli, founder of Pirelli S.p.A., ISPI has always adopted a pragmatic approach in analyzing geographical areas and topics of particular interest to Italy and Europe.

ISPI is the only Italian Institute - and among the few in Europe - combining policy-oriented research with an equally significant commitment to education and training, to conferences and advice on international trends for businesses, Institutions and the wider audience. Its work features an inter-disciplinary approach and partnerships with leading think tanks and universities from all over the world.


Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)

The Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) is a Japanese policy think tank established in 2001. Its mission is to conduct theoretical and empirical research, maximize synergies with those engaged in policymaking, and to make policy proposals based on evidence derived from such research activities. The institute is highly regarded both in Japan and abroad for its activity.

RIETI invites leading experts from Japan, the United States, Europe, and other Asian countries to give lectures about various global issues including economic security and regional affairs such as the U.S.-China conflict, the situation in the Middle East, the propects of the Chinese economy, climate change, environmental and energy issues, the post-corona global trade system, supply chain risks, SDGs, etc. Many policy proposals are derived from information collected and discussed in these lectures.


Aspen Institute Germany

The Aspen Institute Germany promotes values-based leadership, constructive dialog among conflicting parties, and Euro-Atlantic cooperation to support and enhance a strong open society. To do so, Aspen Germany convenes decision-makers and experts from the fields of politics, business, academia, media, culture, and civil society in three programs:

  • Policy Programs offer a non-partisan, confidential platform for dialog and analysis to address regional and global challenges and to develop mutually acceptable solutions. This branch is comprised of the Berlin Transatlantic Forum, the Digital Program, as well as the Europe Program.
  • Leadership Programs reflect on values and ideas using the Socratic method to deepen knowledge, broaden perspectives, and enhance participants' ability to solve the problems they face.
  • Public Programs provide a forum for open and constructive dialog between decision-makers and a broader audience on a wide range of current issues.

The Aspen Institute Germany was founded in Berlin in 1974 and has since then actively promoted the idea of transatlantic community and of a free and open society. It serves as a non-partisan, non-profit convening platform and is part of the global Aspen network,  with partners in the United States, the Czech Republic, France, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Romania, Spain and Ukraine. Together, the Institutes are committed to addressing the chanllenges of the 21st century.


St. Gallen Endowment for Prosperity through Trade

The St. Gallen Endowment is the institutional home of the Global Trade Alert and the Digital Policy Alert, the two leading independent monitors of government policies affecting traditional and digital cross-border commerce. Because we want globalisation to be better managed for the benefit of all, we reconceive how government policy is recorded, democratise access to that information so that more effective policies can be identified and advance policy initiatives so that international commerce is a stronger engine of human progress in the decades to come. The Endowment is a foundation registered under Swiss Law with its offices in St Gallen, Switzerland. The Endowment's statutes require it to protect and preserve its independence - but that does not preclude engagement with third parties that share our goals.