By Gabriel Ani
MUNICH (chatnewstv.com) — The Director General of The World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Friday Warned against ‘Wrecking-Ball’ Politics.
Speaking at the 62nd Munich Security Conference, World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala delivered a sobering assessment of the global economic order, warning that the current trend toward “fragmentation” poses a direct threat to international security.
Addressing a room of world leaders and security experts, Okonjo-Iweala emphasized that trade is not merely a technical exchange of goods but a fundamental pillar of global peace. Her comments come at a time when the conference’s central theme, “Under Destruction,” highlights the crumbling of the post-1945 international order.
“Trade is not merely a technical exchange of goods,” she said.
“It is a fundamental pillar of global peace.”
The Director-General warned that decoupling and the rise of “transactional deals” over principled cooperation could lead to a permanent loss in global GDP, disproportionately affecting developing nations.
She argued that economic ties act as a “buffer” against conflict. “When nations are invested in each other’s success through trade,” she noted, “the cost of war becomes prohibitively high.”
Rather than retreating into isolationism, Okonjo-Iweala called for “re-globalization”-diversifying supply chains to include regions previously left on the margins, such as parts of Africa and Latin America, to build resilience without sacrificing the benefits of open trade.
Her remarks echoed concerns expressed earlier at the gathering by Friedrich Merz, who warned against unilateral global leadership approaches.
“Even the United States will not be powerful enough to go alone,” Merz said.
Okonjo-Iweala said dismantling international trade rules would have far-reaching consequences for global stability.
“We cannot have security in a world where the rules of trade are being dismantled by wrecking balls,” she said.
“We must choose to reform and rebuild, not simply destroy.”
The conference, held amid rising geopolitical tensions and shifting alliances, has increasingly focused on the intersection between economic policy and national security, reflecting growing recognition among global leaders that economic stability and defense strategy are closely intertwined.
