From Rejection to Reform: Rethinking Globalization

From the fall of the Soviet Union to the 2016 election of Donald Trump, the United States championed globalization, driving the near-total integration of global finance, investment, and trade. But reality fell short of the promises made by its advocates. As a result, the political economy of trade swung from utopian optimism to borderline dystopian despair. The U.S. shifted from leading globalization to retreating into protectionism—“America the leader” became America alone.

But America can and should do better than simple reaction and rejection. It’s time to move beyond the backlash, not by reviving the old model of globalization but by forging a new path. We need a fundamentally different framework—Globalization 2.0—built on clear principles for reform and progress.

Please join ITIF for a hybrid event presenting key findings from a significant new report and a panel of distinguished trade policy experts. Speakers will examine the failures of the last phase of globalization, the economic and policy dead ends caused by recent anti-globalization trends, and the principles and policies needed to shape a “Globalization 2.0” framework.

Questions for the speakers? Ask on Slido.