April 9, 2026 | 3:30 - 5 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall
IIS Spring 2026 Speaker Series - Rupture: The U.S. and the Fate of World Order
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Rupture #3: Trade
Is the Trump administration’s winner-take-all, “America First” embrace of economic nationalism and protectionism sustainable economically, politically and environmentally?
Panelists:
- Professor Barry Eichengreen, UCB Distinguished Professor of Economics and Political Science
- Chris Casey, PhD - Analyst, Congressional Research Service
- Professor Max Auffhammer - UCB Professor of Sustainable International Development
United States foreign policy has historically linked economic and national security through support for a liberal, rules-based global trading system. For decades, this system - broadly known as free trade - has enriched multinational corporations but its benefits have often bypassed workers and communities. The Trump administration’s jagged imposition of tariffs against trading partners ostensibly addresses the failures of globalization through economic nationalism, but at significant costs: disrupted supply chains, risks to investors, and shaken strategic partnerships. Is the Trump administration’s winner-take-all, “America First” embrace of economic nationalism and protectionism sustainable economically, politically and environmentally?
Series Description:
Rupture: The U.S. and the Fate of World Order is a speaker series engaging expert academics and practitioners to provide a contemporaneous overview of the intentional disruption of US foreign policy and “rupture” of the international order. Longstanding pillars of American foreign policy and national security are being corroded and even dismantled, with immediate consequences and historic long-term implications for global security, stability, and prosperity.
This IIS-hosted series explores the core contours of this disruption by identifying its driving forces, key actors, and structural effects. Each event examines the current moment through one of four overlapping domains: 1) democracy and human rights, 2) collective security and alliances, 3) the international economic and trade order, and 4) the international community, international law, and multilateral institutions. Together, these sessions enable students and others to deepen their understanding of the dynamics at work and their impacts.
