Chokepoints Audiobook By Edward Fishman cover art

Chokepoints

American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare

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Chokepoints

By: Edward Fishman
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic story of how America turned the world economy into a weapon, upending decades of globalization to confront a new authoritarian axis—Russia, China, and Iran.

"Deftly written, Chokepoints is a compelling and dramatic narrative about the new shape of geopolitics."
— Daniel Yergin, The Wall Street Journal

"A timely, riveting world tour...[An] absorbing book."
— The Economist

“Remarkable...One of the most important books on economic warfare ever written.”
— Paul Kennedy, author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

Selected as a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, Financial Times, Bloomberg, and NPR • Finalist for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award

It used to be that ravaging another country’s economy required blockading its ports and laying siege to its cities. Now all it takes is a statement posted online by the U.S. government.

In Chokepoints, Edward Fishman, a former top American sanctions official, takes us deep into the back rooms of power to reveal the untold history of the past two decades of U.S. foreign policy. As Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Ayatollah Khamenei wreaked havoc on the world stage, mavericks within the U.S. government built a fearsome new arsenal of economic weapons. Successive U.S. presidents have relied on these weapons to address the most pressing national security threats—for good and for ill.

Chokepoints provides a thrilling account of one of the most transformative developments of our time, demystifying how the U.S. government harnesses the power of Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Big Oil against America’s enemies. At the center of the narrative are the trailblazing diplomats, lawyers, and financial whizzes who have masterminded America’s escalating economic wars against Russia, China, and Iran.

Control over economic chokepoints—such as the U.S. dollar, advanced microchip technology, and critical minerals—has become the key to geopolitical power in the twenty-first century. The result is a new world order: an economic arms race among great powers and a fracturing global economy. Chokepoints is the definitive account of how America pioneered a new, hard-hitting style of economic warfare—and how it’s changing the world. Geopolitics International Relations Politics & Government Middle East Iran Russia China War Military Imperialism Imperial Japan Government Socialism Taxation American Foreign Policy Capitalism
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Engaging Writing • Technical Depth • Comprehensive History • Detailed Analysis • Accessible Explanations

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Interesting subject matter which seemed to be well researched. Reads fairly academic with a lot of details

Interesting subject matter

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A must-read to understand how chokepoints can hurt economies and countries. One of the best books I read/heard.

Great Read

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Excellent book telling the tail of the rise of US sanctions and export controls starting with Iran, then Russia and finally China. Globalization is over and this book helps us understand the tools that ended it.

Amazing narrative of critical story

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the book give much concrete details of how some policies came to being, the way they actually did realistically.

detailed realistic as-is information on policy making and evolutions

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This is in an incredibly well researched and informative book describing the recent history of the United States’ and the West’s use of sanctions and economic measures in its conduct or geopolitical affairs.

Perhaps most impressive is the inside baseball accounts of the policy debates both within US government institutions and amongst allies.

If I had one ask, it would be a section on the USG efforts on the diversion of microprocessors into the drone supply chain supporting the Russian war effort. The DoJ Disruptive Technology Strike Force didn’t stand up until early 2023, so this may need to be in a part 2.

Overall, this is an excellent account on the use of economic warfare and the internal tensions that present when attempting.

Excellent historical account

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