The Globalist: Peter Sutherland – His Life and Legacy

PETER SUTHERLAND played a defining role in world history over the past 25 years and was arguably the most influential Irish person ever to have lived. He was Ireland’s youngest ever attorney general; the youngest ever European Commissioner; UN special representative for migration; and special adviser to the Vatican.

His landmark achievement was the signing of the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations in Marrakesh on April 15th, 1994. Under Sutherland’s stewardship, a historic global agreement on the removal of trade barriers and market liberalisation was achieved, earning him a reputation as the ‘father of globalisation’.

He became chairman of BP and Goldman Sachs International and sat on the board of some of the biggest companies in the world. Public service, however, remained his true calling. The position he most prized was President of the European Commission but a combination of domestic political tribalism and French resistance derailed his chances.

Drawing on a wide range of interviews with major political and business figures, including Hank Paulson, Mickey Kantor, Pascal Lamy, Sir Tom McKillop, Mary Robinson, Bertie Ahern, Brian Cowen, Catherine Day, David O'Sullivan and Klaus Schwab, The Globalist examines key episodes in Sutherland’s life and career – the Arms Trial, the introduction of the Eighth Amendment, the Anglo Irish Agreement, the development of the EU single market, the establishment of the WTO, and migration policy.

Towards the end of his life Sutherland became a tireless advocate for the rights of asylum seekers and migrants, which made him a target for nativist and populist movements around the world.