The future of trade and multilateralism: a new publication from the conference “International Trade after the Trump 2.0 Shock”

How can a trading system based on shared rules be preserved in a context of geopolitical tensions and growing protectionism? This question articulates the publication International Trade after the Trump 2.0 Shock, which collects the contributions of the conference held in Berlin on 28 and 29 May 2026, co-organised by Obreal, the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and the Freie Universität Berlin with the support of the Government of the Generalitat de Catalunya and with the collaboration of the WTO Chairs Programme.

Edited by KDI School Professor Wonhyuk Lim and President of Obreal, Ramon Torrent, the publication brings together 17 contributions from high-level experts from all continents who address the transformations of international trade from the perspective of law, economics and political economy.

The publication is a continuation of a collaboration that began in a workshop in Barcelona in 2001, which has already led to several meetings and a joint publication on multilateral and regional trade frameworks. In the summer of 2025, Lim and Torrent, with a shared concern for the future of the multilateral system, decided to give it a new impetus with the organization of a conference that, in turn, has spawned this publication.

The trade policies of the second Trump administration are the starting point of the publication. However, the contributions place tariffs and unilateral measures within the framework of a deeper transformation: a scenario in which economic security, control of technologies and resources, and rivalry between powers increasingly condition trade relations.

Readers will find analyses on the future of the World Trade Organization and the possibilities for reform, as well as on the role of regional agreements and other agreements between groups of countries. The publication also examines the responses of Africa, Latin America and Asia to these changes, with a focus on regional integration, diversification of partners and the ability to defend their own development priorities.

Other contributions explore the relationship between trade, inclusion and sustainability, and consider how to incorporate these objectives into economic security policies and trade rules. With this publication, Obreal and the co-organizing institutions contribute to the debate on the future of multilateralism, connecting regional perspectives and academic knowledge to guide reflection on public policies, and promoting effective collaboration between all “Friends of Multilateralism”.