Geoeconomics: The Democratic blueprint in historical perspective

Abstract

The article takes an evolutionary approach to the idea of geoeconomics. It presents the latter as a continuation and upgrade of post-Cold War triumphalism, neoliberal economic policies, and the Jimmy Carter-era human rights agenda, formulated into a single policy under the Clinton administration. As to the neoliberal component of this, the paper also discusses, briefly, what distinguishes the Democratic (liberal) and Republican (conservative) concepts of free trade. The article points out various sources to prove the link between the earlier policy elements and the eventually formulated policy. It also addresses the outlook on world affairs that was characteristic of the Clinton administration: the notion of “enlargement,” “geoeconomics,” and, pertaining to those outside this realm, the idea of rogue states and isolation. At the end of the paper, an evaluation is given on whether Clinton’s policies worked or not, and if one may offer a coherent definition of geoeconomics based on the practices observed.