Geopolitics, social polarization, and the bridging role of cosmopolitan leaders

Recent political and social events around the world have displayed a mounting wave of anti-globalization, posing challenges for leaders of multinational enterprises (MNEs). The backlash against the movement of goods, capital, and people across borders has manifested in, or deepened, social divisions and nationalist sentiment in various countries around the world. In the US and in European countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany, trade and immigration issues have fueled nationalist sentiment and hostility toward ethnic ‘Others’ (e.g., Gusterson, 2017). In South and Southeast Asia, such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar, Buddhist nationalism is on the rise over threats to identity posed in part by the globalization of ideas (Gravers, 2015). And on the African continent, xenophobic violence against migrants has been reported in South Africa (HIIK, 2018). The current global geopolitical landscape suggests that leaders of MNEs must be prepared to manage tensions arising from the polarization of political, ideological, religious, and/or ethnic social identities (e.g., Reade & Lee, 2012).