Behind the notion of sovereignty, the end of naivety

Le Regard Libre N° 68 - Clément Guntern

The year 2020, in addition to having seen a pandemic of immeasurable impact, has marked the return, or rather the rebirth, of a notion that was once thought to be obsolete, unsuitable and even dangerous: that of sovereignty. In the space of a few months, the issue has once again become central. But an anachronistic vocabulary tends to overshadow what is really at stake: not the withdrawal of nations into themselves, but the pursuit of balanced regulation of globalization.

Just three or four years ago, the ideal of a return to state sovereignty in Europe was still confined to populist parties and firmly opposed by those who supported unbridled globalization and those who scaremongered about the return of nationalism and hatred. Wanting to return to this old notion implied a desire to put an end to world trade.