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Ian Bremmer on the drift in global governance

The head of Eurasia Group discusses the absence of G20 leadership in resolving economic imbalances and the current China–US relationship.

MARCH 2011

As a coauthor of Eurasia Group’s annual risk forecast, president and founder Ian Bremmer identified the top risk in 2011 as “G-Zero”: a lack of leadership on the part of G20 countries in guiding an international economic agenda and resolving subsequent conflicts. Instead, the G-Zero model features policies driven by self-interest, uneven growth, and strained political ties between developed and emerging economies—among them China and the United States, whose bilateral relationship is an integral part of this shifting world order.

In this interview, conducted at this year’s World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, Bremmer talks with McKinsey’s director of publishing, Rik Kirkland, about the implications of G-Zero and the current status of China–US relations.

Watch the video, download a PDF of the transcript, or download the audio file.

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Video: Ian Bremmer on the drift in global governance
Eurasia Group’s president discusses the current lack of economic leadership and the state of China–US ties.
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  • 14 APRIL 2011
    Thomas H. Spitters
    Senior Consultant
    Morgan Hill, CA USA

    ...some protectionism is important, and that economic systems, while there is clamoring for this at present, need not be entirely transparent to each other...

    Read more
    .
    Thomas H. Spitters
    Senior Consultant
    Morgan Hill, CA USA

    While not underestimating the insight and weight of what Mr. Bremmer has mentioned in your article as published, one can even go back to the physiocrats and their view of international relations and trade to know that some protectionism is important, and that economic systems, while there is clamoring for this at present, need not be entirely transparent to each other for reasons of things like domestic markets integrities and market power of the enterprise as based within territorial borders. It might be one view to mention that there is much international tension at the publication of your article that depends upon Western economies allowing transparency to those outside this “league,” and this is improper in one or more respects as cited above, and even for reasons of national security concerning other economic and commercial themes and activities.

    It is also important that one recognize—and this especially concerning territories in the Orient and the southern hemisphere—that free economic organisation is not always all-inclusive, and some economic development must be left to more organic forces, and those outside even regional organisations and foreign aid. Even the Chinese foreign office might acknowledge this with respect to some of its current outreach in the southern Atlantic region.

    .
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Ian Bremmer in Foreign Affairs on the dearth of leadership among leading global economies
Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, and coauthor Nouriel Roubini, a professor of economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business, argue in the March/April 2011 issue of Foreign Affairs that against a backdrop of waning US global economic leadership, the expanded G20 leading economies are shaping up more as an arena of conflict than a forum for compromise as they grapple with intractable international economic and political issues. Read “A G-Zero World” (available without a subscription until April 17).
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