Changing Tides: Geopolitics and Global Trade Blocs

This chapter examines the European core and periphery through a global trade lens. In doing so, we first provide some reflections on the historical context regarding the international trading environment. Inevitably, this focuses on the role of the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) in the post–World War II period. This is in sharp contrast to the current position of the European Union (EU) negotiating bloc. This bloc system has spread to the international stage with the emergence of the mega-regionals. Therefore, we briefly outline the issues around the network of mega-regionals and the Belt and Road Initiative as well as discussing the role of Europe within this new framework. Most recently these large blocs have been compared to the increasingly separatist tendencies, particularly obvious in the case of the Brexit referendum result. Finally, we discuss the role of the European core and periphery in this rapidly evolving geopolitical environment.