CNAS and NYU School of Law Center on Law and Security Launch Economic Statecraft and National Security Project

Washington and New York, January 22 – The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and the Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law today launched the Economic Statecraft and National Security Project. The Project will study the present and future challenges associated with the use of coercive tools of economic statecraft and how they must adapt in light of evolving security and foreign policy challenges.

“The vitality of the U.S. economy is a core strategic asset, and the coercive tools of economic statecraft have become an indispensible component of the national security toolkit,” said Elizabeth Rosenberg, Director of the CNAS Energy, Economics, and Security Program and one of the Project’s principal researchers. “The degree to which the United States can maintain its economic strength and hone a nimble and effective set of targeted financial tools will be a key test of U.S. power in the 21^st century. I am pleased that the Economic Statecraft and National Security Project can help the United States pass that test. 

“The instruments of financial coercion will be a part of the national security discussion for the foreseeable future, making more necessary than ever a sustained examination of their use,” said Zachary Goldman, Executive Director of the Center on Law and Security at NYU School of Law and the Project’s other principal researcher. “With the ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, continued stalemate in Eastern Ukraine, the beginning of a new era in U.S. relations with Cuba, and  rapid evolution of the counterterrorist threat, all elements of national power will need to be brought to bear to manage the current suite of threats. Enhanced understanding of the possibilities and limitations for using these tools will be necessary to ensure their continued integrity and availability.”

The Project will publish cutting-edge research on the range and uses of targeted financial measures and some of the challenges they have recently faced. Additionally, it will convene public and private events on the use and challenges of coercive economic statecraft bringing together an interdisciplinary group of leading experts and practitioners of U.S. foreign policy, national security strategy, financial sanctions, and global financial and energy markets. These activities will bring together a community of stakeholders who will elevate the discourse around the use of coercive economic statecraft and help inform new policy in this area.

A number of senior researchers will make key contributions to the Project’s researching including:

• Peter Harrell, CNAS Adjunct Senior Fellow
• Dr. David Gordon, CNAS Adjunct Senior Fellow
• Dr. David Asher, CNAS Adjunct Senior Fellow
• Ellie Maruyama, CNAS Energy, Economics, and Security Program Research Associate

Ms. Rosenberg and Mr. Goldman are available for interviews. To arrange and interview, please contact JaRel Clay at [email protected] or call 202-457-9410.