When Mercantilism Upsets Neo-Classical Liberal Thinking, the Pandemic Covid-19 as a Revelation

Eric Brunat (1) , Jacques Fontanel (2)

1 USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry] - Université Savoie Mont Blanc
2 CESICE - Centre d'études sur la sécurité internationale et les coopérations européennes

The pandemic shock of Covid-19 had the indirect but powerful consequence of highlighting the limits of economic globalization, in a new world where contestation of the West is growing and where dependence on imported products or intermediate consumption are points of weakness in case of embargo, war or other points of dissonance. National security is not only a military matter, it also includes, more than ever, the sectors of health, education, industrial risks or the protection and availability of natural resources. States can no longer forget that products and services essential to human survival (food, medicines, civil protection) must always be available within the country, either in stock or in immediate production capacity. The same applies to the control of vital technologies (especially digital). Mercantilist thinking is regaining strength in the face of the excesses of economic globalization. The power relations that were openly expressed in the military order are being extended to the economic sector, as evidenced by the resurgence of economic sanctions. In the context of nuclear dissuasion, for the superpowers, it is no longer a question of obtaining mutual benefits through international exchanges, the will to weaken the power of the other becomes prevalent.

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Eric Brunat, Jacques Fontanel. When Mercantilism Upsets Neo-Classical Liberal Thinking, the Pandemic Covid-19 as a Revelation. 17th Binghamton Symposium On HealthCare Management and Policy : International Conference: Disaster Management: Global Pandemic and Its Impact, University of Binghamton, Jan 2023, Binghamton, New York, United States. ⟨hal-03999929⟩