How Choke Points Became Weapons of War, with Edward Fishman

Economic chokepoints—such as the global reliance on the U.S. dollar, advanced semiconductors, and critical mineral supply chains—have replaced traditional naval blockades as the primary mechanism for projecting power in the 21st century. Edward Fishman, director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics, argues that these systems allow nations to inflict significant economic harm through policy edicts rather than military force. While this capability offers a potent tool for coercion, it remains limited; maximalist sanctions often fail to force regime change or total capitulation, occasionally escalating into kinetic conflict. As nations like China build alternative financial infrastructures and leverage their own resource monopolies, the global economy is fracturing into an arms race for economic security. Strategic success now depends on identifying and controlling these critical nodes while mitigating domestic vulnerabilities to ensure national resilience against foreign economic pressure.