Ep21. Is the EU a trade giant, but a political dwarf?

In this episode, Jason Pack and Alexandra Hall Hall open with their thoughts on the EU’s strengths and weaknesses – concluding that the old adage, ‘The EU is an economic colossus and a political pygmy’, is not too far off. To investigate how the EU leverages its trade clout, Alex interviews John Clarke – a British national who worked for more than 30 years as a trade negotiator for the EU. John tells us the tricks of the trade: how the US would steal trade dossiers during negotiations, how the psychology of negotiations works, and how the devil is in the details of free trade agreements.  

He also describes how the EU’s trade treaties are like the different reciprocal drinking arrangements down at the pub. And of course, John gives Alex an insider’s perspective of ‘what went wrong’ over Brexit. In Ordering the Disorder, Jason and Alex discuss the lack of specific training that US and UK Ambassadors receive about negotiations, how the EU must navigate a fine line between the US and China, and how the rise of Neo-Populism in Europe could spell the end to EU’s trade negotiating prowess. 

Twitter: @DisorderShow 

Website: https://natoandtheglobalenduringdisorder.com/subscribe 

Producer: George McDonagh 

Exec Producer: Neil Fearn 

Show Notes Links 

For more visit here

Read more about Europe’s Trade Ambitions here

For more on the EU’s recent New Zealand trade deal visit here

Find more on the tensions at play within EU read "Poland opposes extension of EU trade preferences for Ukraine” here

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