Political Science Workshop: The Grand Split? How The World is Dividing
Panel 1: What is new in our perceptions of world politics?
Laura Macdonald
North American regionalism in a fracturing world order
This presentation adopts a critical political economy perspective to examine the intensification of regional integration in the North American region in a context of geopolitical and geoeconomic conflict with China, the impact of the COVID pandemic on global supply chains, the “friendshoring” phenomenon and increased U.S. protectionism under first Trump and then Biden. I will review evidence on the intensification of regional value chains, and the implications of the renegotiated NAFTA agreement for labour rights, including the rights of women workers and migrant workers. Finally, I discuss the implications for the future of world order. The presentation builds on research I have conducted as part of a SSHRC-funded research grant on Transnational Activism in North America.
