Istanbul Medeniyet University Faculty of Law organised a conference on ‘Weaponisation of Trade’ with the presentation of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Markus WAGNER, a faculty member of the Faculty of Law at Wollogong University, Australia. The conference, which was held on 20 September 2023 Wednesday at Ziraat Bank Library Hasan Polatkan Conference Hall, was open to the participation of all our students, academic and administrative staff and the public.
WAGNER first explained the concept of trade weaponisation. He stated that the weaponisation of trade differs from boycotts, protectionist policies and sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council. On the other hand, he defined the manipulation of existing trade relations to serve geopolitical purposes as the weaponisation of trade. In this context, he stated that acts such as import-export bans and quotas, changes in taxes and tariffs are tools used in the weaponisation of trade. WAGNER gave examples of the weaponisation of trade with countries such as the European Union, the USA, China and Australia and emphasised his belief that economic interdependence and cooperation make the world a better place. On the other hand, he mentioned that the weaponisation of trade creates consequences that need to be discussed from a human rights perspective. He stated that when the interruption of the supply chain makes it impossible to meet the basic needs of the civilian population, especially in developing countries, it creates situations such as hunger, advanced poverty, impossibility of access to the health system, increase in child mortality.
