Globalization—characterized by chasing the lowest costs of production, including in rival countries’ territory—is at an end. Yet, this does not signal a cessation or slowdown of global commerce and trade. On the contrary, global engagement and interconnectedness are still the bedrock of peace and prosperity. In large measure, the future global economic and security architecture will be shaped by diverse, resilient, and trusted connectivity between the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean-Atlantic (Med-Atlantic) regions.

Shinzo Abe, the late Japanese prime minister, articulated a vision for a “free and open Indo-Pacific region” that is not beholden to any coercive sphere of influence. One of the virtues of the “free and open” notion is its adaptability to different regional characteristics. Most populations aspire to live in free and open societies, achieving prosperity through free and open markets. Some nations and regions may interpret the concept of “free and open” as a positive and normative state of being. Others may interpret it primarily as the absence of coercion from malign actors. 

Trusted connectivity across digital or physical infrastructures is built on two pillars. It calls for the implementation of the best industry standards and, more importantly, governance by laws and institutions that accord with and are accountable to individual dignity and freedom. Countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea fall substantially short on the second tenet. Nations adhering to both tenets of trusted connectivity will increasingly devise procedures and rules to prioritize trusted commercial and security engagements among like-minded nations.

A framework for “free and open” connectivity is not a one-size-fits-all model; rather, it derives its strength and resilience organically from shared regional characteristics and perspectives that continue to evolve. One of the common themes across the regional variance is the primacy of sovereignty and strategic autonomy, unencumbered by the pressures of influence-peddling regional bullies.

In recent years, historical corridors where commercial and cultural exchanges traversed for centuries are witnessing a reinvigoration, giving new energy to the world’s free and open spaces. For example, the Indo-Mediterranean maritime pathways—connecting key points across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe—are enjoying renewed attention. During the Roman Empire’s heyday, nearly one-third of its annual revenue was derived from customs levies on trade with India and Persia. Indeed, outside of the territory of the erstwhile empire, the highest concentrations of Roman coins can be found in the Indian subcontinent—a testament to the once-flourishing and deep-rooted interconnectedness between them. 

India, through much of the first two millennia, accounted for anywhere between a quarter and one-third of global wealth, and that wealth propelled Indo-Mediterranean trade. William Dalrymple’s 2024 book, The Golden Road, provides a vivid account of the historical Indo-Roman and Indo-Asian commerce that thrived throughout Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

India—the world’s fastest-growing large economy and the third largest by 2030—is once again well positioned to propel trade with West Asia and Europe and usher in a “new Golden Road.” In 2023, during India’s presidency of the G20, the United States, European Union, Italy, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and India launched the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). This promising initiative aims to enhance trade and transit connectivity across the Middle East beyond the Suez Canal by developing complementary road and rail networks across the Arabian Peninsula. 

This will likely incentivize Iraq and Turkiye to do the same along the Euphrates watershed and the Mediterranean. IMEC was made possible by the diplomatic rapprochement between Israel and the UAE through the Abraham Accords. This regional breakthrough may include Saudi Arabia in the near future, which would further strengthen the commercial linkages between the Gulf and Mediterranean regions.

A fully realized thoroughfare for Indo-Mediterranean commerce may present an extraordinary opportunity for economic growth and prosperity for the people of Jordan, Israel, and Palestine, connected as they are by shared history........

© The National Interest