Globalisation thrown into reverse gear: What this could mean

GLOBALISATION - a term which implies integration of the global economy rather than any universal brotherhood of man - was in trouble even before Donald Trump notched his upset victory in the US presidential election, and now it is in much bigger trouble.

A month before the hustings, I was fortunate enough to be granted an interview with managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde (on behalf of Emerging Markets newspaper), during which she talked about her growing concern over what might be called "de-globalisation".

She said: "There are populist voices in various countries, and not just in the United States, calling for withdrawing behind borders, limiting the flow of goods and services and hindering the flow of people." Mr Trump was, of course, one such person, though not the only one.