Introduction

As global ties weaken due to trade barriers, supply-chain shifts, and stricter borders, countries are reclaiming control. This trend of deglobalization is driving sovereign nationalism, where governments focus more on security, self-reliance, and identity politics than on liberal integration and global cooperation.

Body

Post Cold War World is tilting toward sovereign nationalism with waning of globalization

• Geopolitics beats free trade: US–China tension leads to higher tariffs and tech controls. Companies move production back home or to friendly countries to reduce risk
  Eg: Apple is bringing production closer to home (USA).
• Industrial policy comeback: Large subsidies back domestic industry and jobs, like semiconductor and green manufacturing support across major economies.
• Tech and data sovereignty: Governments guard chips, 5G, cloud, AI models, and citizen data with controls, bans, and localization rules.
  Eg: India’s data protection regime pushes localization and tighter cross‑border data transfers to keep citizen data under national rules.
• Energy security first: War and sanctions rewire fuel trade. Countries diversify suppliers, hoard, and sign long-term national deals.
  Eg: Europe is diversifying away from Russian gas after the Ukraine war by importing LNG from the US and Qatar.
• Harder borders and migration politics: Stricter asylum rules, fences, and offshore processing reflect sovereignty claims over entry and citizenship.
• Currency and payment autonomy: Moves to reduce dollar dependence and build local or regional payment rails show push for financial sovereignty.
• Fragmented trade architecture: Countries prefer minilateral or values-based blocs over universal WTO-style bargains, raising regionalization.
  Eg: CPTPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) and IPEF (Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity) are rising as regional/minilateral deals outside the WTO framework.
• Cultural protection and identity politics: Narratives of civilizational pride, media quotas, and “local first” campaigns reinforce national identity and markets.

Conclusion

The rise of sovereign nationalism is reshaping global dynamics and challenging multilateralism, but it can also be leveraged to find solutions to global issues. By aligning national interests with collective goals, states can channel self-reliance and strategic autonomy into cooperative efforts on climate change, security, and health crises.

DOWNLOAD PDF