Yeah, I think something like that is more plausible. Not people actively coordinating or taking specific orders from some chain of command. Rather we have an ideology, prevalent enough that many powerful people independent of each other make decisions which in a sort of messy way push the world in a particular direction.

More trade, more profits, more deregulation. The dominating neoliberal ideology of you will. It does not seem much questioned by those at the top of corporations, and at the top of various government bureaucracies.

I just keep seeing how the EU constantly keeps pushing this kind of agenda despite the fact that I am pretty sure most voters never really voted for it. Perhaps the problem is not so much to yet voters explicitly said they are wanted something different. It seems more like they have been indifferent.