The New Geoeconomic Toolkit

The New Geoeconomic Toolkit Project at CNAS focuses on export controls, investment reviews, and information and communications technology (ICT) trade restrictions.

In recent years, the U.S. government has dramatically expanded the use of its geoeconomic toolkit by limiting American exports to companies in competitor nations, sharpening the scrutiny of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and reviewing the use of certain ICT items from abroad to increase America's supply chain security. By expanding its use of these tools, however, Washington faces new challenges like balancing national security and economic interests, coordinating multilateral policy responses with allies, and avoiding unintended policy consequences. As the United States competes for the future of economic and technological power, it is crucial that American policymakers effectively balance the benefits and the costs of deploying these tools.

This project examines the impact and effectiveness of the United States’ new geoeconomic toolkit in order to inform decision makers across government, industry, and the broader national security community. The initiative also explores the evolving use of these geoeconomic tools, identifies their role in driving America’s technological edge, and develops concrete recommendations to advance responsible and effective policymaking.

This effort builds upon a previous CNAS project on export controls and broader coercive economic measures that are crucial to furthering U.S. national security and foreign policy goals while retaining U.S. economic competitiveness.