Unfortunately, we live in unprecedented bad times for international relations. A retrenchment of policies towards narrowly defined national interests and short-termism in the definition of policy objectives, partly dictated by the continuous monitoring of popular approval and facilitated by the new digital technologies, are the most significant risks today.
The US decision to back out of the Paris Climate Agreement and the recent failure to sign a shared Communiqué at the G7 Summit in Charlevoix are clear signs of the dangers to the liberal world order and global cooperation. The trade dispute is revelatory of the difficulties we encounter on the road to cooperation.