When the disciple becomes the master

When the disciple becomes the master

The doctrine of Wandel durch Handel, or ‘change through trade’, shaped international trade and geopolitics for several decades. It holds that deepening commercial ties between nations will lead to the gradual spread of ideas and values — chiefly Western democratic values. The doctrine has served as a rationale for Germany’s stance towards authoritarian countries, and successive US presidents have used it to make the case for appeasement and trad…