Slowbalisation, Deglobalization, and Changes in the International Order

• In Event: Poster Session: Urban Politics & International Order, Environmental Issues, and IPE
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: International Order, Environmental Issues, and IPE

Abstract

Since World War II, the international order has changed in the order of pre-globalization/Cold War order, globalization/post-Cold War order, and post-globalization/New Cold War order. There is still debate as to whether the current situation is the era of post-globalization and the new Cold War, but it must be acknowledged that it is quite different from the era of globalization and the post-Cold War before the mid-2010s.

What should be South Korea's response in such a time? International relations in the era of deglobalization, which are distinct from the era of globalization, are characterized by the new Cold War, security-economy linkage, and value-interest linkage. Which bloc should we belong to in the composition of ‘solidarity within the bloc’ and ‘conflict between blocs’? If shared value takes precedence over shared interest as the criterion for selecting the bloc, South Korea should belong to the bloc of Western Europe centered on the United States, that is, the bloc of liberal democracy and market capitalism. This is not to exclude the Chinese bloc, which prioritizes profit sharing, but to induce changes in the Chinese bloc. This is because the desirable nature of international relations in the era of globalization and post-Cold War is that value sharing and profit sharing are accompanied.

In the future, I think the era of ‘reglobalization’ and ‘post new Cold War’ will return. But now South Korea is living in the era of deglobalization and the new Cold War. In a situation where South Korea is not free from the logic of the blocs of great powers, it can be said that South Korea is required to establish a security and economic network based on principles. The pursuit of interests without principles will lead to long-term consequences against the national interest.

Author

• Sang-Hwan Lee, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies