1. Food Superpower: From Pax Britannica to Pax Americana
By Pailin Kittisereechai

2. Structure of presentation
Theoretical framework: Critical International Political Economy
Contents:
- Pax Britannica (19th century – Early 20th century)
- Pax Americana (post-WWII – present time)
Conclusion: compare and contrast

3. Critical IPE
The study of globalization, and indeed of contemporary world politics, is first and foremost the study of contemporary capitalism. Indeed, paraphrasing Horkheimer, one may say, those who do not want to talk about capitalism, should not talk about international relations, or globalization
Fred Halliday - “The Pertinence of Imperialism,” in Historical Materialism and Globalization

4. Critical IPE
Superpowers as the manager of the capitalistic economic system
The system that:
- promotes their interests
- maintains their status
- increase their power

5. Pax Britannica Great Britain as the center of capitalism
Integrating many parts of the world into the capitalistic system by:
- colonization
- (unequal) treaty
industrial capitalism and commercial capitalism

6. Pax Britannica
Case studies: the control of rice producing and trading in Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar)
Siam: Bowring Treaty – 1855  changing pattern of agricultural production  land and labor reform
Burma: colonization  higher level of capitalization  ethnic tension and the change of regime afterwards

7. Pax Americana U.S. as the center of capitalism since the end of WWII
Development discourse and Bretton Woods System
1970s – turning point: from Keynesianism to Neo-liberalism
Important actors: U.S. Government and transnational corporations

8. U.S. Agricultural export
2014
U.S. Agricultural export
150,466m$
2014
14,000m$
2014
34,895 m$
2014
27,441 m$
2014
17,910 m$

9. Pax Americana Institutions: domestic and international Innovation:
- “Fast food”
- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)

10. Institution : rules, norms, regulations The power of corporations
Institutions
Institution : rules, norms, regulations
The power of corporations
Food lobbyists

12. A survey of American schoolchildren found that 96% could identify Ronald McDonald. The only fictional character with a higher degree of recognition was Santa Claus.
Eric Schlosser

13. GMOs Food security VS Food sovereignty Is it safe to eat GM food?
Intellectual Property Rights
Terminator technology
“You cannot insert a gene you took from bacteria into a seed and call it life. You have not created life, instead you have only polluted it.”
Vandana Shiva

14. Conclusion
The ability to control global food of both superpowers strengthened their power.
Pax Britannica – direct control on trading and division of production
Pax Americana – more subtle control to the level of consumer behaviors and ownerships