About this episode

Edward Fishman discusses the strategic use of economic chokepoints and sanctions in modern warfare.

Edward Fishman, senior fellow and director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins School of War to discuss his New York Times best-selling book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare. How has the United States turned the global economy into a strategic weapon? What are the strengths and limits of sanctions? And how are China, Russia, and Iran adapting to a new era of economic warfare? 02:46 - Edward Fishman's background 04:26 - Understanding economic chokepoints 05:35 - The dollar as a strategic chokepoint 07:02 - Semiconductors as a strategic chokepoint 09:24 - The Iraq embargo and modern sanctions 11:05 - Airpower vs. economic warfare 12:14 - Are sanctions a "nuclear weapon"? 13:23 - America's sanctions strategy toward Iran 14:25 - Trump pulling out of the JCPOA 16:20 - The limits of economic warfare 18:00 - Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and the MoU 20:44 - Shadow fleets and Iranian oil 22:54 - The evolution of Russia sanctions 27:59 - China and the economic arms race 29:53 - How nations mitigate economic chokepoints 34:20 - What makes a strategic chokepoint? 39:40 - Chokepoints beyond economics 41:05 - Can Iran…

People in this episode

Host: School of War

Guest: Edward Fishman

Topics covered

• economic warfare
• sanctions
• geoeconomics
• strategic chokepoints
• global economy
• international relations

Keywords

• economic warfare
• sanctions
• chokepoints
• geoeconomics
• Iran
• China
• Russia
• JCPOA
• global economy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Council on Foreign Relations

Books & works: Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare

Places: United States, Iran, China, Russia, Strait of Hormuz

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