ABSTRACT. This essay argues that a transatlantic free trade pact would have significant geopolitical implications. In particular, TTIP, by creating jobs and stimulating growth, would help revitalize the Western democracies and advance the prospects for the West’s reclamation of political and strategic purpose. TTIP could, however, potentially have significant geopolitical downsides. The more ambitious and exclusive the “club” constituted by the Atlantic democracies, the higher the barriers to entry, and the less likely it is that emerging powers will want or be able to play by Western rules. The pact’s overall economic and geopolitical effects are definitively positive. Nonetheless, it is important for the Atlantic democracies to proceed with eyes wide open. pp. 124–133

Keywords: TTIP; transatlantic relations; free trade; geopolitics; Atlantic democracies

How to cite: Kupchan, Charles (2015), “Parsing TTIP’s Geopolitical Implications,” Geopolitics, History, and International Relations 7(2): 124–133.

Received 2 August 2014 • Received in revised form 14 February 2015
Accepted 18 February 2015 • Available online 30 July 2015