Syracuse University Professor: Other Nations Begin to Fill the Void Left by the American Retreat Off the Global Stage

Syracuse University Economics Professor and Chair of the International Relations program at the Maxwell School Mary Lovely is available to talk to media about the future of global leadership during the G20 summit.

“President Donald Trump’s recent decision to withdraw from the Paris Accords and his promise of greater trade protection signal a major retrenchment in US global economic leadership. The G20 meetings present an opportunity for other nations to begin to fill the void left by the American retreat. Already, the leaders of Germany and China have indicated their willingness to take up the mantle of global stewardship,” says Lovely.

“Speaking in Berlin on May 3 about Germany’s G20 Presidency, Chancellor Angela Merkel took direct aim at Trump’s America First approach, proclaiming that ‘isolation and protectionism are a dead-end rather than a way forward.’ On the eve of the G20, the European Union and Japan announced a broad trade agreement, putting substance to Merkel’s bid to shape new connections and partnerships,” Lovely says.

“Competing with Merkel to lead the way forward will be China’s President, Xi Jinping, who vigorously championed economic cooperation and free trade in January at the Global Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The G20 meetings offer new information about how President Trump will shape the United States’ role in the global economy and how other leaders will respond to the American moves,” Lovely says.

To contact Professor Lovely, please email Ellen James Mbuqe, director of PR, at ejmbuqe@syr.edu or call 315.443.1897.