- Author: Jennifer Harris
- Genre: Geopolitics
Overview
This book argues that the United States has forgotten how to use geoeconomics, leaving a massive vacuum that nations like China are filling by using trade, investment, and sanctions as weapons. It's a pragmatic, policy-minded look at how economic power shapes international relations far more effectively than traditional military force. If you want to understand how global trade and statecraft actually work in the modern world, this is a must-read.
Plotline & Key Takeaways
The authors lay out how states use sovereign wealth funds, infrastructure projects, and trade agreements to achieve geopolitical goals without firing a single shot. They point out that while the US relies heavily on military interventions and legalistic treaties, other nations are busy buying up ports, securing supply chains, and offering loans that come with political strings attached. The book argues that Washington's current foreign policy apparatus isn't built to handle this type of competition because it separates economics from security. To compete, they argue the government's got to integrate trade policy directly into its security framework and learn to play the geoeconomic game before it's too late.