The domestic impact of geopolitical shifts

On 12 December, FEPS and Progressive Britain brought together a group of policymakers and experts in Westminster in light of their joint project on the (geo-)politics of work. The observation that the world is an ever-more-connected place is so common as to be trivial. While economic and cultural integration has continued to deepen, tensions around the planet have risen to the point where the same channels of sharing and trade we all benefit from bring international conflicts to our domestic spheres.

German economic cooperation with Russia caused severe problems for its energy infrastructure and, therefore, poorer voters when the war in Ukraine broke out. The USA is a partner of Europe and Britain but its IRA and massive spending on green infrastructure risks our continent losing its edge in green manufacturing and attendant jobs. The war in Gaza has nothing to do with the British Labour Party but poses severe challenges to elected Labour officials at both a local and national level.

It is impossible for progressive governments anywhere in Europe now to treat conflict as a purely foreign policy issue, whether outright or simmering, almost anywhere around the world. But how do they respond? This private discussion was intended to gather informed views and help progressive thinkers and policymakers grapple with this new reality.

For more information, please do not hesitate to contact Gerard Rinse Oosterwijk, FEPS Policy Analyst on Digital (gerard.oosterwijk@feps-europe.eu)