Dementia Perhaps, but the State is not Dead: TTIP, CETA, and the Arctic

Abstract

Edward Luttwak wrote about the transition from geopolitics to geoeconomics at the end of the Cold War. He argued that the state would give way to corporations, because the pressure for states to place priority on military security was soon to be attenuated. In its place states would work at “geoeconomics.” A rather happy outcome of more peace and more jobs was the likely outcome. The analysis did not anticipate the widespread dissatisfaction by many people in the EU, US, and Canada with the results of globalization that has weakened support for deeper changes in free trade and contributes to instability in these core countries. This paper evaluates Luttwak’s claims through a review of the EU’s own impact studies on the specific issues and opportunities of trade agreements for the Arctic.