Phil Mullan, Beyond Confrontation: Globalists, Nationalists and Their Discontents: Emerald Publishing, 2020, 256p, $27.99, ISBN: 978-1-83982-563-7 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-83982-560-6 (online), ISBN: 978-1-83982-562-0 (epub)

This article is a book review of Beyond Confrontation: Globalists, Nationalists and Their Discontents by Phil Mullan. Like other writers, Mullan warns of the danger of rising global tensions, but what marks out his contribution is a demystifying historical analysis which identifies the underlying sources of conflict and offers an optimistic and forward-looking vision. The first part of the book examines the emergence of the current rules-based international order in the aftermath of the Second World War, uncovers its inherent flaws, and draws out how it has now become a source of conflict rather than stability. Part two is devoted to debunking myths about trade and trade agreements—particularly the idea that these are central to economic dynamism. Arguing that the relationship between trade and economic growth has been turned upside down, Mullan aims to put it back on its feet. The concluding part sets out some positive proposals for how to reimagine economic policy approaches in ways that could enable root-and-branch renewal and to think afresh about what type of political culture would facilitate such necessary changes.