Global Supply Chains and Economic Interdependence Introduction Global supply chains connect producers, suppliers, transport systems, financial institutions and consumers across multiple countries. They have transformed international production by allowing firms to source raw materials, components, services and technologies from different parts of the world. At the same time, supply-chain integration creates vulnerabilities because disruption in…

International and National Security Introduction Security concerns protection from threats, risks and vulnerabilities. In International Relations, security traditionally focused on protecting the state from military threats, but the concept has expanded to include economic, environmental, cyber, health and human dimensions. National security primarily concerns the protection of a state, its population, territory, institutions and vital…

Human Security and Non-Traditional Security Introduction Human security broadens the concept of security from protection of the state to protection of individuals and communities. The concept gained international prominence in the 1990s, particularly through the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report 1994. Non-traditional security similarly expands the security agenda beyond conventional military threats to…

Security Dilemma and Strategic Stability Introduction The security dilemma is a central concept in International Relations, particularly in realist and neorealist thought. It describes a situation in which measures taken by one state to improve its security can make another state feel less secure. Strategic stability concerns conditions under which states have incentives to avoid…

Economic Sanctions, Economic Statecraft and Trade Wars Introduction Economic statecraft refers to the use of economic resources and instruments to pursue foreign-policy, diplomatic or strategic objectives. Economic sanctions are among its most important tools. States can use trade restrictions, financial measures, investment controls, asset freezes and other economic instruments to influence the behaviour of governments,…