The epic story of how America turned the world economy into a weapon, upending decades of globalization to take on a new authoritarian axis—Russia, China, and Iran.

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Featured in THE REST IS POLITICS newsletter – Rory Stewart’s Book Recommendations 

SHORTLISTED FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

AN ECONOMIST and FINANCIAL TIMES ‘BEST BOOK OF 2025’

‘Chokepoints is a masterful narrative of US economic warfare in the 21st century.’ Financial Times

‘A timely, riveting world tour … absorbing’ The Economist

‘Compelling and dramatic’ Wall Street Journal

’A gripping, firsthand account. Unparalleled.’ Chris Miller, author of Chip War

If you want to understand what’s happening to the world economy, start right here.

 

It used to take blockades and sieges to ravage a rival’s economy. Now, a single statement posted online by the US government can bring a nation to its knees.

Chokepoints is a gripping behind-the-scenes account of one of the most pivotal geopolitical shifts of our time. Drawing on extensive research, personal experience and interviews with key players, Edward Fishman, a former top US State Department official, takes us deep into the back rooms of power around the world. He reveals how sanctions, tariffs and control over modern-day chokepoints – such as the US dollar, advanced microchip technology and critical energy supply chains – have become the primary weapons of twenty-first-century geopolitics.

This is the epic story of how America turned economics into a weapon – and how China, Europe and Britain are now doing the same. Urgent and brimming with rare insight, Chokepoints is the definitive guide to the Age of Economic Warfare.

In this new geopolitical era of blockades and oil price shocks, find out how the global economy became a weapon of war:

• Explains how sanctions, tariffs and price controls became part of America's economic arsenal.
• Authoritative analysis of US economic warfare against Iran, Russia and China.
• Unique behind-the-scenes insights based on previously unpublished sources.
• Short chapters tell the story in breathtaking clarity and detail.
• A gripping page-turner for fans of Material World by Ed Conway and The World for Sale by Javier Blas & Jack Farchy.