Will the Lisbon Treaty lead to more regionalism and trade wars?

MrMatisse

Interesting article here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8323742.stm

sink

It won't work. Europe has something the Asian/Pacific countries don't, common liberal democratic principles. They are a disparate mix of planned and open economies, democratic and authoritarian political systems, whose governments range from secular liberalists to deeply religious conservatives. There is no way they would be able integrate to the level of the EU.

marco_polo

Thread title - article connection is what exactly?

In what section of the Lisbon treaty was there a proposal to setup a Asian trade bloc?

MrMatisse

Closer EU integration is resulting in increasing regionalism over multilateralism which could lead to more trade wars.

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Really-Stressed wrote: »

Closer EU integration is resulting in increasing regionalism over multilateralism which could lead to more trade wars.

And the proof that closer EU integration is resulting in increasing regionalism is what exactly? You do realise that with the growth of China, even the US (never mind Europe) is likely to become a lot less important in the years to come?

marco_polo

Really-Stressed wrote: »

Closer EU integration is resulting in increasing regionalism over multilateralism which could lead to more trade wars.

No doubt that you have solid evidence that this move was prompted by an as yet unimplemented European treaty. Or indeed that closer EU integration is resulting in increasing regionalism.

Perhaps you just forgot to post link to said evidence?

The EU has been a tight knit trading block for many decades now and is already more than well equipped to stage a trade war if it so desired (it doesn't). So I am curious as to how, in your learned opinion, have the proposed fairly moderate structural changes to the EU institutions prompted this action by the ASEAN countries?

MrMatisse

marco_polo wrote: »

No doubt that you have solid evidence that this move was prompted by an as yet unimplemented European treaty. Or indeed that closer EU integration is resulting in increasing regionalism.

Perhaps you just forgot to post link to said evidence?

The EU has been a tight knit trading block for many decades now and is already more than well equipped to stage a trade war if it so desired (it doesn't). So I am curious as to how, in your learned opinion, have the proposed fairly moderate structural changes to the EU institutions prompted this action by the ASEAN countries?

It was a hypothesis posted for discussion.

ConsiderThis

whatever about trade wars, one factor that has been seen to contribute to actual wars and civil unrest has been lack of democracy or the appearance of a lack of democracy.

Scofflaw

I would have thought that the existence of regional trade blocks lowers, rather than raises, the risk of trade wars, since one needs the agreement of the entire trade block in order to commit to such a war with another block or country, while the possibility of a trade war between the regional partners is either reduced or (as in the EU) eliminated.

cordially,
Scofflaw

ConsiderThis

Scofflaw wrote: »

I would have thought that the existence of regional trade blocks lowers, rather than raises, the risk of trade wars, since one needs the agreement of the entire trade block in order to commit to such a war with another block or country, while the possibility of a trade war between the regional partners is either reduced or (as in the EU) eliminated.

cordially,
Scofflaw

I agree with you insofar as trade wars. However, the appearance of lack of democracy might be considered, looking at the historical evidence, to be a contributory factor in many actual wars.