Publications /
Policy Paper

Back
Trade in the Wider Atlantic and the Transatlantic Trade And the Investment Partnership
Authors
Peter Sparding
March 11, 2014

This paper examines the changing role of trade in the Wider Atlantic space and the shifting trade patterns between the four continents

Historically, transatlantic relations have often been focused on North-North connections in the Atlantic space. In light of momentous geopolitical, economic, and demographic changes around the world, it now seems expedient to expand the view of the Atlantic by exploring its “vertical map” and including its Southern half. This paper focuses on one of the trends currently shaping the region — the changing role of trade in the Wider Atlantic space. Significant developments are unfolding. Total trade among the regions of the Atlantic Basin has seen a dramatic increase in recent years, more than doubling in volume between 2000 and 2011. Over the same period, new actors have entered the Atlantic sphere. In addition, trade patterns are slowly shifting between the four continents. This paper illustrates and analyzes the history of trade relations in the Atlantic and the changing trade patterns in the Wider Atlantic, and explores the potential impacts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on geostrategic and economic developments in the region.

RELATED CONTENT

  • November 7, 2019
    The 8th edition of the Atlantic Dialogues conference is on its way ! From 12 to 14 December 2019, Marrakesh will host leaders from the Atlantic Bassin to connect, debate and inspire on building new mental maps around the Southern Atlantic, on sharing ideas and on boosting the Atlantic r...
  • November 5, 2019
    In this brief, we review the evidence on Morocco’s export concentration, discuss its causes, and then draw some policy implications. The main message is that Morocco needs to raise its game in some less familiar markets and move outside its comfort zone. This implies not only investments by private firms, greater efforts on export promotion by the government and professional associations, but also deeper changes within Morocco, including in its educational system. Over the past two ...
  • Authors
    November 5, 2019
    Since 2013, armed conflict has raged in the Central African Republic, between the largely Muslim Seleka rebels and the predominantly Christian militias (known as the anti-Balaka). Rebel groups are controlling broad swathes of the country, exploiting mineral wealth, and levying taxes on cattle migration. Non-state actors such as the Popular Front for the Governance of the Central African Republic (FPRC), which claims to “govern” the country’s northeast, have severely tested the autho ...
  • Authors
    November 4, 2019
    Sans accorder une importance excessive aux limites démarquant les différentes tranches d’âge, les jeunes se définissent, pour l’essentiel, comme ceux dont l’âge se situe entre 18 et 35 ans, en intégrant les au-delà des 35 ans les « jeunes vieux » (ceux qui restent jeunes d’esprit, d’agir, et de manière d’être) et de « vieux jeunes » (ceux qui vieillissent très tôt dans leur mode d’être, de penser et de faire). Ainsi, il n’existe pas une seule jeunesse africaine mais des jeunesses a ...
  • Authors
    November 1, 2019
    Dans la nuit du samedi 26, Donald Trump, comme à son habitude, lance un tweet quelque peu énigmatique :  ‘’Quelque chose d’énorme vient de se passer’’. Le porte-parole de la Maison Blanche renforce la devinette, en déclarant que le président ‘’fera, le dimanche 27 octobre à 9h, une annonce très importante’’, sans donner d’indices. Le suspens ne dura cependant que quelques minutes. Bien avant le rendez-vous fixé par Washington, des médias et des journalistes avancent l’éventuelle éli ...
  • Authors
    Morten Seja
    November 1, 2019
    The author is an alumnus of the Atlantic Dialogues Emeging Leaders Program 2014. The discussion on industry 4.0 (also often referred to as smart manufacturing or industrial internet of things – which is the term mostly used in the United States of America) has graduated from being a niche topic discussed (and implemented) by engineers in the world’s richest economies. If industry 4.0 has not physically arrived everywhere, it is at least in the minds of some: industry 4.0 in Africa, ...