
This ninth edition of “Atlantic Currents” appears in an international context marked predominantly by a ten month-war between Russia and Nato members that began February 2022. The war is affecting not only
14-16
December, 2022
Marrakesh, Morocco
Since its inception in 2012, the Atlantic Dialogues (AD) conference has become a well-established annual meeting point taking place in Marrakesh, bringing together around 350 high-level senior officials, business leaders, academics, opinion shapers and civil society actors from the Atlantic space and beyond. Morocco has been host to these gatherings given its location and close relations to all countries bordering the Atlantic. The Atlantic Dialogues Conference has became the most impactful event for the Atlantic basin, where the 4 continents meet during 3 full days to build the future of their common space on equal terms, and where the Southern voices are heard.
This ninth edition of “Atlantic Currents” appears in an international context marked predominantly by a ten month-war between Russia and Nato members that began February 2022. The war is affecting not only
The Atlantic Basin can be considered a relatively peaceful geopolitical space. However, unprecedented challenges in terms of policy planning and strategizing have had to be faced by South and North Atlantic states. The conjunction of sanitary, economic, and political crises has raised questions about the historical stability of the Atlantic Basin. It has also given traction to pre-existing populist and far-right movements in many parts of the northern Atlantic. Nonetheless, The Atlantic Basin as a fresh and untapped geopolitical space can serve as a new platform for a North-South dialogue. With the maritimization of the world and the expansion of international trade, the Atlantic Ocean can be considered like a river that can be bridged where new narratives and postures can emerge, when it comes to international relations and the perception of the developing world. The necessary synergy between economic growth and energy transition and the new paradigm for migration imposes a Pan Atlantic approach to these challenges and greater commitment to dialogue and cooperation.
- How can we change narratives around the Atlantic Basin and include a North-South dimension in the geopolitical framing of this territory?
- How can we strengthen cooperation and understanding between Southern Atlantic countries and the rest of the stakeholders ?
Inflation is back on the agenda. The rise of inflation occurred in the aftermath of the global activity rebound out of the COVID-19 when global value chains were severely disrupted and have been contending to recover since then. The Russia-Ukraine conflict added new strains over the global economy, raising energy and food prices. Inflation brings more uncertainty in the operation of an economy and introduces new transaction costs for economic agents, constrained to hedge against it. A more granular assessment indicates that vulnerable households were severely affected on two fronts. Their real disposable income shrunk while at the same time their savings slushed considerably, as their holdings are not generally inflation-immune. Besides, the aggressive reaction it generated from macroeconomic policy makers and its implications worldwide, this inflation trend could be the catalyst of ongoing transformations. It could strengthen even further the hand of those preaching globalization and advocating for self-reliance behaviors. In addition, inflation can also lead to questioning the balance of power between workers and capital holders, heralding a new era in labor markets negotiations.
- Are we heading toward a new inflation age?
- What are the drivers of today’s inflation and how similar/different is it from the 1970s?
- How can domestic policies cope with this issue? Can a collective international response prove to be effective?
- Beyond classic implications, can this inflation trend trigger more profound transformation of the worldwide economic system?
After decades of economic integration, the world seems to be fragmenting again, epitomized best, perhaps, by the return of geopolitics, protectionism, unilateral sanctions, treaty withdrawals, and even military and economic coercions. The war in Ukraine seemed to further deepen this impression of a suffering international order especially in the Wider Atlantic, where a difference of views divides the West and the global South. Concomitantly, institutions of multilateralism, such as the United Nations and its manifold agencies, have been criticized for their lack of efficiency and their institutional sclerosis. They have, additionally, been challenged by the global South, notably the African continent, for their unfair governing structures with increasing pressures to add two African seats to the Security Council. Unlike countries of the northern Atlantic, the southern Atlantic still lacks mechanisms of effective collaboration and the willingness to align positions on the international scene.
- How can we bridge the gap between positions and posture between the global South and the global North?
- Is the Wider Atlantic a viable space for cooperation and dialogue between states?
- Is multilateralism in need of a global reform? What is the role of the global South in this overhaul?
Since 2020, the international community has been witnessing seismic changes in several spheres. COVID-19 has disrupted global production and its supply chains. The war in Ukraine has sparked an energy crisis, induced food insecurity, resulting in acute effects for the most vulnerable. The multilateral system has been profoundly challenged, and climate change and nuclear war threats are on the table. In the context of these compounded crises, the Wider Atlantic has emerged as a crucial element of geopolitical and geoeconomic analysis in world affairs. The session will discuss the prospects of cooperation in the Wider Atlantic that would make it possible for states to collectively tackle common issues. It will also investigate the extent to which such cooperation might shift the gaze from Asia and the Pacific into a Wider Atlantic.
- What are some of the features characterizing the impacts of these compounded crises?
- What are the security, political and economic drivers of the Wider Atlantic—being at the intersection between the Americas, Europe and Africa—in the current global context?
- Would a Wider Atlantic unified strategy be useful as an attempt to quell the crisis?
- What is the role of Africa and Latin America in (re)shaping the Wider Atlantic dynamics?
This session will present and discuss the 9th edition of Atlantic Currents report, one of the flagship annual publications of the Policy Center for the New South. This report comes along with the high-level Atlantic Dialogues conference and explores key global issues facing the Atlantic from a Southern viewpoint.
In line with the theme of the Atlantic Dialogues Conference, this 9th edition will be devoted to “Collaboration in a Mutating World: Opportunities of the Wider Atlantic”. It will analyze the political, economic, social and security developments reshaping societies and relationships in the Atlantic Basin as well as the opportunities they present for further cooperation and common strategies.