Steven Brakman, Tristan Kohl, and Charles van Marrewijk publish book about ‘Trade as a weapon’

Emeritus professor Steven Brakman and associate professor Tristan Kohl of the Faculty of Economics and Business, together with former colleague Charles van Marrewijk (now at Utrecht University), have written the book Handel als wapen (In english: Trade as a weapon). The book will be published on February 6.

This topical book exposes the economic dimension of international power. In their book, Brakman, Kohl, and Van Marrewijk show how countries are increasingly using trade as a strategic weapon. Using contemporary examples — from the sanctions against Russia to the trade war between the United States and China — they reveal how economic dependence can be converted into political influence.

World powers use trade strategies to weaken opponents or force (former) allies to cooperate, accepting the costs to their own economies. With accessible analyses and sharp observations, Brakman, Kohl, and Van Marrewijk’s book offers insight into complex trade agreements, economic sanctions, demographic changes, technological dominance, and the battle for crucial production chains.

Official presentation

Brakman, Kohl, and van Marrewijk will present their book on Tuesday, February 10, at De Nederlandsche Bank with a substantive program and a panel discussion addressing themes from the book. The program will be in Dutch. The presentation is open to students and any other interested parties.

About the authors

Steven Brakman is Professor Emeritus of International Economics at the University of Groningen. He previously worked at De Nederlandsche Bank, is co-editor of the Journal of Regional Science, and is a research fellow at the Centre for Economic Studies at the University of Munich. His articles on globalization, trade, and the World Trade Organization appear regularly in scientific publications. He is also a frequent commentator on these topics in the media.

Tristan Kohl is Associate Professor of International Economics at the University of Groningen. He is also a guest researcher at Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Kohl publishes articles on international trade, sanctions, trade agreements, the World Trade Organization, demography, and geography in academic journals, but also regularly comments on these topics in the media. He studies how lobby groups influence the rules of globalization and, through his role at CBS, advises the government on the economic consequences of trade policy.

Charles van Marrewijk is Professor of International Macroeconomics at Utrecht University. He previously worked at the University of Groningen, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China. He is active as a (co-)editor for various journals and publishes on international economics, geographical economics, globalization, demography, and economic development. He also writes books for international publishers, some of which have been translated into Chinese.