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Globalization

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International trade policies and new technologies facilitate the flow of people, information, and products across national borders, in turn encouraging the integration of regional economies, societies, and cultures. RAND research has investigated how globalization affects and has been affected by policymaking throughout the world.

Commentary

Eliminating Jobs or Strengthening the Economy? The Impact of Trade Policies on the American Worker

Aug 30, 2016

The enormous benefits of trade include economic growth, more variety for industry and consumers, and lower prices. But trade can displace some American workers. Training programs, relocation assistance, and wage insurance can help.
Commentary

Curbing Globalization Won't Halt the Rise of Inequality

Dec 14, 2016

Globalization may be one of many factors driving inequality. But ending trade agreements and throwing up trade barriers is unlikely to stop this trend.

Explore Globalization

Commentary

What Does China's Pursuit of a Global Coalition Mean for World Politics?

As disputes between Beijing and Washington over trade and other issues intensify, analysts have highlighted domestic factors as reasons why President Xi Jinping may resist compromise. However, China's pursuit of a greater international leadership role likely plays an overlooked, but increasingly important role.

Oct 8, 2018
Report

Report

International Movement and Science: A survey of researchers by the Together Science Can campaign

This report documents findings from a survey exploring the patterns, enablers, obstacles and outcomes of international movement (short-term visits and relocation) for researchers around the world.

Sep 17, 2018
Commentary

Taking Stock of a Shifting World Order

The postwar order seems poised to continue eroding, without a clear alternative in the offing. It has often taken cataclysmic events to inaugurate new eras of geopolitical order, but one hopes that the postwar order will instead be reinvigorated through farsighted statecraft.

Aug 31, 2018
Commentary

The Global Order Will Outlast U.S. Leadership

Even if America bails on the international order there is plenty of evidence that Europe, China, Japan, and the rest of the developed world will maintain existing multilateral structures and build new ones. The order will survive but may become less liberal, less democratic, and perhaps less peaceful.

Aug 23, 2018
Commentary

The Roots—and Purpose—of the Post-War Order

As the world enters an era of greater international competition, U.S. policymakers should take care not to underestimate the importance of the postwar system. The order is far from a myth; it is the United States' most important competitive advantage.

Aug 7, 2018
Commentary

The Security Risks of a Trade War with China

As U.S.-China trade tensions continue to rise, many observers are focused on the potential for a full-fledged trade war that could destabilize the world economy. But there are security concerns as well. A China less constrained by and invested in economic ties with the United States could pose a greater challenge to U.S. foreign policy.

Aug 6, 2018
Commentary

China Prepares for an International Order After U.S. Leadership

In Beijing's estimation, key geopolitical developments have increased the possibility that China will face a power transition with the United States in coming years. In response, Chinese officials are laying the groundwork to manage that transition and ensure a leading role for their country in the emerging international order.

Aug 2, 2018
Commentary

Attempts to Order Geopolitics Have a Sobering History

Past efforts to introduce world order have resulted less from foresighted statecraft than from cataclysmic upheavals such as World War II. If the current international system erodes, what might have to happen for a new one to emerge?

Jul 25, 2018
Commentary

Book Review: Elizabeth Economy's The Third Revolution

The United States' attitude towards China is undergoing a significant recalibration, perhaps the most fundamental since Beijing's crackdown at Tiananmen Square almost three decades ago. Harnessing its resurgence while tempering its revisionism will likely be Washington's most vexing long-term policy challenge.

Jun 26, 2018
Commentary

We Need a New International Order. Here's Why

The postwar, rule-based international order is under unprecedented strain. The U.S. predominance so characteristic of the current order must give way to a more multilateral system, one that takes seriously the sometimes-differing perspectives of other major powers.

Jun 25, 2018
Commentary

Without Reform and Cooperation with China, the International System Cannot Hold

No rule-based international order can survive without Chinese support. Reforms are needed to address Beijing's concerns and provide it with a continued stake in the order. The trick is to decide where compromise is acceptable for U.S. interests and to draw clear lines around principles where it is not.

Jun 25, 2018
Report

China's Role in the International Order

China's engagement with the postwar order remains a complex, often contradictory work in progress. China will likely demand more influence in the international system as a condition for its support. What will this mean for U.S. policy?

May 21, 2018
Commentary

Book Review: The Sovereignty Wars by Stewart Patrick

“Sovereignty” is a complicated, multifaceted construct. The Sovereignty Wars is a timely and meticulous effort by author Stewart Patrick to clarify that concept, whose usage is a matter of both analytical interest and policymaking import.

May 17, 2018
Report

Building a Sustainable World Order

The growing threat to the rules-based postwar order is a defining feature of current discussions about world politics. A two-year project explored the existing international order, assessed the challenges facing it, and recommended policies to advance U.S. interests.

May 3, 2018
Commentary

What Role Will the United States Play in the World?

Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States is questioning the net strategic benefits of its participation in the postwar order as never before. Foreign policy priorities are increasingly disconnected from the day-to-day concerns of most Americans.

Apr 30, 2018
Report

Report

U.S. Policy in Asia — Perspectives for the Future: Proceedings from a RAND Corporation Conference in Early 2017

These conference proceedings explore the arenas of U.S.--Asia engagement, provide an understanding of the outcomes of past interaction, and make the case for the terms of future engagement.

Apr 18, 2018
Report

Testing the Value of the Postwar International Order

The postwar order offers significant value to U.S. interests and objectives and is worth the investment. It represents a leading U.S. competitive advantage. At a time of growing rivalry, nationalism, and uncertainty, a functioning multilateral order will be essential.

Jan 8, 2018
Commentary

The Multilateral Order Makes America Stronger

Skeptics have suggested that U.S. interests and support for the international community are somehow mutually exclusive. In fact, international institutions, rules, and norms have mostly worked in the U.S. interest, not against it. The Trump administration has an opportunity to build on that record with a strong agenda of reform and support.

Sep 26, 2017
Report

Measuring the Health of the International Order

The liberal international order that has been in place since 1945 is relatively stable. But the order is threatened by geopolitical and domestic socioeconomic trends that call into question its assumptions. U.S. support and engagement over the coming decade will be essential.

Sep 5, 2017
Report

Alternative Options for U.S. Policy Toward the International Order

The collection of rules, norms, and institutions that came to be understood as the international order after World War II has come under increasing strain. What alternative visions for the future order could respond to changes in politics? And what role could the United States play in each?

Aug 28, 2017

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