# The Chokepoint Trap > How economic security efforts risk global conflict. - Title: The Chokepoint Trap · Foreign Affairs | Shortify - Summary: How economic security efforts risk global conflict. Countries using chokepoints for economic security trigger a dangerous spiral of mutual distrust and… - Keywords: chokepoints, economic security, geopolitical conflict, trade war, semiconductors, rare earths, strategic autonomy, u.s., china, europe, world, politics - Source: Foreign Affairs — https://foreignaffairs.com/united-states/chokepoint-trap-economics-farrell-newman-tan - Author: Henry Farrell - Published: 2026-10-20T04:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: chokepoints, economic security, geopolitical conflict, trade war, semiconductors, rare earths, strategic autonomy, u.s., china, europe, world, politics ## Policymakers focus on chokepoints U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration warns allies against dependence on China while hunting for ways to exploit allies’ dependence on the United States. ## China accuses U.S. of economic coercion Beijing accuses Washington of economic coercion while leveraging its dominance over critical supply chains to press the United States and Europe. ## Europe seeks alternative currency Europe hopes to build the euro into an alternative global currency to evade the dollar’s iron grip. ## Smaller players exploit chokepoints Iran tries to leverage its control over the Strait of Hormuz to put a stranglehold on the global oil trade. ## Chokepoints evolved from globalization As economies integrated, chokepoints proliferated: manufacturers extended supply chains across borders, banks routed transactions through the U.S. dollar system, and digital services took advantage of economies of scale. ## Post-9/11 U.S. economic dominance After the September 11, 2001, attacks, the United States combined its advocacy for free markets with an increasingly ambitious effort to exploit its dominant position in these networks. ## Trump’s first term shifts focus Moves by Trump in his first term caused world leaders to take more notice of chokepoints, as the pandemic heightened countries’ fears of external dependence. ## China’s response to U.S. actions During Trump’s second administration, China learned that the best way to stop him is to squeeze a chokepoint. ## Chokepoint trap dynamics The result is a security dilemma where one country’s efforts to secure itself make others feel threatened and respond in kind, leaving everyone less safe. ## Self-perpetuating spiral Each country’s individual actions contribute to a collective trap: the U.S. efforts to hamstring Chinese technology firms led China to accelerate its technological development, which spurred American fears of Chinese domination. ## Institutional ambiguities Economic policy institutions lack the command-and-control structures of defense bureaucracies, leading to misinterpretation of actions as deliberate threats. ## U.S. Commerce Department rule In September 2025, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security enacted the affiliates rule to expand export controls on subsidiaries of entities on two U.S. government watch lists. ## China’s rare earth response In October 2025, China expanded rare earth export controls to retaliate against the affiliates rule and further efforts by Washington to restrict Chinese firms’ access to U.S. technologies. ## Chokepoint warfare risks When governments pursue chokepoint warfare, the problems these institutional ambiguities create get much worse, leading to unintended escalation. ## Global chokepoint proliferation Since 2020, countries have enacted seven times as many export restrictions per year as they did between 2010 and 2019, showing the chokepoint trap is closing on governments. ## Europe’s strategic constraints Europe remains deeply dependent on U.S. technology and security guarantees despite efforts to build economic security strategies. ## China’s strategic shift China has reshaped its economic policy around national security concerns, accelerating technological self-reliance and creating new government structures that mimic U.S. targeting mechanisms. ## The inevitable spiral A chokepoint arms race will make everyone much less secure, with economic efficiencies evaporating as governments fragment global systems. ## Key takeaway Countries using chokepoints for economic security trigger a dangerous spiral of mutual distrust and escalation.