How globalized information networks can be used for strategic advantage Until recently, globalization was viewed, on balance, as an inherently good thing that would benefit people and societies nearly everywhere. Now there is growing concern that some countries will use their position in globalized networks to gain undue influence over other societies through their dominance of information and financial networks, a concept known as “weaponized interdependence.” In exploring the conditions under which China, Russia, and the United States might be expected to weaponize control of information and manipulate the global economy, the contributors to this volume challenge scholars and practitioners to think differently about foreign economic policy, national security, and statecraft for the twenty-first century. The book addresses such questions as: What areas of the global economy are most vulnerable to unilateral control of information and financial networks? How sustainable is the use of weaponized interdependence? What are the possible responses from targeted actors? And how sustainable is the open global economy if weaponized interdependence becomes a default tool for managing international relations? “'Weaponized Interdependence' is now 'a thing' and one of the hot concepts in international relations, and indeed it is an essential idea for understanding the world. This volume has the ideal editors, and it is a wonderful introduction to the topic.” —Tyler Cowen, professor of economics, George Mason University “New technologies have been introduced quickly. These new technologies have produced new opportunities for the use of power. The tight relationship between underlying capabilities and the ability to do harm has been severed. The old world is at an end. This volume is at least a beginning on getting some grasp on how this new world will develop.” —Stephen D. Krasner, Graham H. Stuart Professor of International Relations, Stanford University “In bilateral relations, states use asymmetrical interdependence to coerce others. In networks with increasing returns to scale, they use 'weaponized interdependence' to do so. The Uses and Abuses of Weaponized Interdependence demonstrates the importance of weaponized interdependence in contemporary world politics and is essential reading for scholars and policymakers alike.” —Robert O. Keohane, professor emeritus, Princeton University, and co-author, Power and Independence How globalized information networks can be used for strategic advantage For a century, economic interdependence was perceived as having a moderating effect on international relations. In recent years, however, we have seen China, Russia, and the United States weaponize economic networks that they control in arenas ranging from finance and energy to transport. In exploring the conditions under which weaponized interdependence is attempted, the contributors to this volume challenge scholars and practitioners to think differently about foreign economic policy, national security, and statecraft for the twenty-first century. What areas of the global economy are most vulnerable to unilateral control of information and financial networks? How sustainable is the use of weaponized interdependence? What are the possible responses from targeted actors? And can the open global economy endure if weaponized interdependence becomes a default tool for managing international relations? Henry Farrell is the SNF Agora Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS, the 2019 winner of the Friedrich Schiedel Prize for Politics and Technology, Editor-in-Chief of The Monkey Cage at The Washington Post , and co-founder of the popular academic blog, Crooked Timber . A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Farrell has written for publications such as The New York Times , the Financial Times , Foreign Affairs , Foreign Policy , The Washington Monthly , The Boston Review , Aeon , New Scientist , and The Nation .