Where is the world heading? Towards a “new world disorder” marked by the resurgence of geopolitical conflicts and state-sponsored violence or towards an ineluctable economic convergence?

Building on their expertise in economics, defense, and European affairs, former Director-General of the World Trade Organization Pascal Lamy and defense analyst Nicole Gnesotto do not share the same opinion about our world’s future, but they both hold this nexus between geopolitical and geoeconomic forces to be at the core of our understanding of global affairs.

They offer in this book a stimulating dialogue in the making. It first opposes, then gradually weaves together two different but complementary perspectives on future strategic challenges. For Nicole Gnesotto, globalization has accentuated tensions and isolationism; but Pascal Lamy remains confident in the power of a regulated and harnessed globalization to pacify the world and make it a better place.

This book offers strategic thinking and blends theory with vision and insight to provide us with an urgent examination of the great transformations that the world is facing and the possible solutions Europe could offer to overcome this tumultuous phase of global history.

A must-read for anyone interested in getting a firmer grasp on global and European affairs.

Pascal Lamy, Jacques Delors’s former chief of staff, was a European Trade Commissioner (1999-2004) before serving for two terms as Director General of the World Trade Organization (2005-2013).

Nicole Gnesotto, professor at the CNAM (National Arts & Trades Centre), specializes in international relations issues, particularly European ones. She ran the Institut d’études de sécurité de l’Union européenne from 2002 to 2007.

1. Cover Page
2. Title Page
3. Praise for: Strange New World, Geoeconomics vs. Geopolitics
4. Copyright Page
5. Publisher’s Foreword
6. INTRODUCTION - A World in a Mess
   1. Globalization: A Story of Disillusionment
   2. Europe: A Dream in Question
7. PART ONE - A World in Metamorphosis
   1. CHAPTER 1 - The Return of Force
      1. From Extreme Rationality to Global Chaos
      2. American Supremacy
      3. Disintegration of the International System
      4. “The Impotence of Power”
      5. Political Globalization Doesn’t Exist
      6. Commerce Doesn’t Tone Down Cultural Mores
   2. CHAPTER 2 - The Turbulence of the Great Transformation
      1. Three Shocks
      2. In Search of Lost “Meaning”
      3. “Exploring the Almost Infinite Complexity of the Facts” (Jean Jaurès)
      4. The Moderating Virtues of Economic Interaction
      5. The Social, a Strong Reminder
      6. The Transformation of a Collective Consciousness
      7. The Ecological Imperative
      8. Polylateralism to Reconcile the Economy and Politics
8. PART TWO - The World in Two Voices And Nineteen Variations
   1. CHAPTER 1 - The Players
      1. The United States: A Democracy with the People Absent
      2. China: The Chasm between Its Economy and Its Politics
      3. India: Understanding Complexity
      4. Russia: When Political Nostalgia is Tamed by Market Forces
      5. Japan: The Silent Power of Economics (to Overcome Geopolitical Threats)
      6. Latin America: Where Divisions Are More Economic Than Political
      7. Africa(s): Can Economic Integration Overcome the Inverse Trend of Political Fragmentation?
      8. The Middle East: Geoeconomics Snared by Geopolitics
   2. CHAPTER 2 - The Burning Issues
      1. The Digital Revolution: Globalization vs Democracy?
      2. International Trade: A Turning Point in Globalization?
      3. Refugees and Migrations: Convergent Political and Economic Factors
      4. Energy and Climate Change: the Double-Edged Sword of Geoeconomics and Politics
      5. Terrorism: A Geoeconomic Phenomenon Disguised as a Geopolitical One
      6. Cybersecurity: between Freedom and Control, a Case for New Forms of Hybrid Governance?
      7. Oceans: Overcoming Geopolitical and Geoeconomic Interests
      8. Governance: from Multilateralism to Polylateralism
      9. Risk and Security: How Economics Triggers and Modifies Political Risk
      10. The West, Democracy, and Values: The Divorce between Economic and Political Progress
      11. Brexit
9. PART THREE - Europe Challenged by the World
   1. CHAPTER 1 - How Did It Get So Bad?
      1. External Crises Challenge Prosperity and Security
      2. Serious Internal Dysfunction that Is Undermining the Union’s Credibility
   2. CHAPTER 2 - Meaning and Narrative
      1. Major Assets
      2. Civilizing Globalization
   3. CHAPTER 3 - Norms and Force: The New European Contract
      1. No More Taboos or Illusions
      2. Reconciling Force and Norms
      3. Two Strategies for Influence and Power
      4. A New Model for Development
      5. For a Policy for Global Security
10. CONCLUSION - Where is the world headed?
11. Notes
12. Contents