Besieged by the left and the right: The order of liberal globalism

This paper provides a critical reading of Quinn Slobodian’s “Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism”. Slobodian’s narrative centers around the concept of a “Geneva School” of economists and lawyers who, from the 1930s to the 1990s, shaped the international economic order through activities in Genevan institutions. The paper shows in what ways the book constitutes a highly stimulating challenge for readers who align normatively with the characters portrayed by Slobodian. Despite some weaknesses in its historiographical construction, the Geneva School is interpreted as an innovative contribution to the neoliberalism literature. The critical remarks on the book are embedded in posing an overarching question: In what ways can globalists like the author of the paper and moderate critics of globalism like Slobodian enter a fruitful conversation about improving the deficiencies of the global politico-economic order, especially in light of the far-left and far-right critique of globalism in recent years.