Econ Sec, Statecft, Wepn Int

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Economic Security, Statecraft, and the Weaponization of Interdependence explores how global economic interconnections serve as sources of prosperity, power, and strategic vulnerability in today’s contested world. Students will ground their understanding in the fundamentals of economics, from supply and demand, comparative advantage, and trade theory to classical liberal and mercantilist frameworks. The course examines how these economic principles inform national strategies for industrial policy, technological development, and the management of critical supply chains. Students will investigate how states use tools such as sanctions, export controls, sovereign wealth funds, and development finance to achieve strategic objectives, and how economic linkages can be weaponized in ways that blur the line between war and peace. Weekly readings will integrate economic theory, political economy, and policy analysis to provide a rigorous analytical foundation. By the end of the course, students will be able to assess trade-offs in economic statecraft, evaluate risks to national competitiveness, and compare strategies across allies, competitors, and neutral states. The course equips students with the conceptual and practical tools to understand the intersection of economics, security, and statecraft.