The Economic Weapon

The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War

By: Nicholas Mulder

Narrated by: Liam Gerrard

The first international history of the emergence of economic sanctions during the interwar period and the legacy of this development

Economic sanctions dominate the landscape of world politics today. First developed in the early 20th century as a way of exploiting the flows of globalization to defend liberal internationalism, their appeal is that they function as an alternative to war. This view, however, ignores the dark paradox at their core: designed to prevent war, economic sanctions are modeled on devastating techniques of warfare.

Tracing the use of economic sanctions from the blockades of World War I to the policing of colonial empires and the interwar confrontation with fascism, Nicholas Mulder uses extensive archival research in a political, economic, legal, and military history that reveals how a coercive wartime tool was adopted as an instrument of peacekeeping by the League of Nations. This timely study casts an overdue light on why sanctions are widely considered a form of war, and why their unintended consequences are so tremendous.

©2022 Nicholas Mulder (P)2022 Tantor

Talks too fast

Great book though I need to write fifteen words at least for the review. Fifteen

History of sanctions during the early 20th century

It’s beneficial to understand the origins of sanctions and how it was applied to Italy, Japan, and Germany by the US, UK, and France. The book will change your perspective about sanctions as a tool of warfare.

History Book

This is a history book. I was expecting some understanding of how sanctions are used and how they work. You will get none of that, this is only a historical perspective of when they were used.

Interesting, but not quite what it says on the tin

Title and description should make clearer that 85% of this book is about the origin of sanctions and the process by which they became a core feature of modern geopolitics. It doesn't follow that thread through to present day in as much detail. If you're looking for a book to answer "do sanctions work?" in the modern era, it may not provide the level of detail you need to be convinced.

Interesting account on development of sanctions

Great historical overview on how the world started to use economic means in order to prevent future wars. The author gives detailed historical account and roots of what we call economic sanctions nowadays. Great book for contextual knowledge on the subject.