Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
In an era of geopolitical competition and economic interdependence, the United States has increasingly turned to sanctions, export controls, and tariffs to achieve its national security and foreign policy goals. Washington is deploying these tools in more novel ways and at greater scale than at any point in the post–World War II era. Yet, American policymakers lack a doctrine or a set of clear principles on how to leverage economic pressure effectively.
Through the analysis of 20 historical and ongoing cases of U.S. economic pressure, including legacy embargos, modern sanctions regimes, technology denial cases, and trade coercion, a new report from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Energy, Economics, and Security Program (EES) proposes nine principles that can serve as the foundation of an American economic pressure doctrine.
Join CNAS on Thursday, April 23, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. ET to mark the launch of Hit It with Your Best Shot: An American Doctrine of Economic Pressure, by EES Senior Fellow and Director Emily Kilcrease. She will be joined by Eva Dou, author of House of Huawei, and Richard Nephew, senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. The discussion will be moderated by LtCol Mary Hossier, senior military fellow at CNAS.
For more information visit: events.cnas.org/hititwithyourbestshotvirtual
Follow CNAS on:
• Twitter: twitter.com/cnasdc
• Facebook: facebook.com/cnasdc
• Instagram: instagram.com/cnasdc
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/center-for-a-new-american-security
In an era of geopolitical competition and economic interdependence, the United States has increasingly turned to sanctions, export controls, and tariffs to achieve its national security and foreign policy goals. Washington is deploying these tools in more novel ways and at greater scale than at any point in the post–World War II era. Yet, American policymakers lack a doctrine or a set of clear principles on how to leverage economic pressure effectively.
Through the analysis of 20 historical and ongoing cases of U.S. economic pressure, including legacy embargos, modern sanctions regimes, technology denial cases, and trade coercion, a new report from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Energy, Economics, and Security Program (EES) proposes nine principles that can serve as the foundation of an American economic pressure doctrine.
Join CNAS on Thursday, April 23, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. ET to mark the launch of Hit It with Your Best Shot: An American Doctrine of Economic Pressure, by EES Senior Fellow and Director Emily Kilcrease. She will be joined by Eva Dou, author of House of Huawei, and Richard Nephew, senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. The discussion will be moderated by LtCol Mary Hossier, senior military fellow at CNAS.
For more information visit: events.cnas.org/hititwithyourbestshotvirtual
Follow CNAS on:
• Twitter: twitter.com/cnasdc
• Facebook: facebook.com/cnasdc
• Instagram: instagram.com/cnasdc
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/center-for-a-new-american-security
