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Trade in War: Economic Cooperation across Enemy Lines

Published By Cornell University Press •
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Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC
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Featuring
Mariya Grinberg
Mariya Grinberg

Assistant Professor of Political Science, MIT

Henry Farrell
Henry Farrell

Professor of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University

Non-resident Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; Associate Professor, University of Maryland

Trade between belligerents during wartime should not occur. After all, exchanged goods might help enemies secure the upper hand on the battlefield. Yet as history shows, states rarely choose either war or trade. In fact, they frequently engage in both at the same time.

To explain why states trade with their enemies, Mariya Grinberg examines the wartime commercial policies of major powers during several conflicts in her book Trade in War. Grinberg reveals that economic cooperation can thrive even in the most hostile of times and argues that economic ties between states may be insufficient to stave off war.

Join Grinberg and Henry Farrell, with Joshua Shifrinson as moderator, for a discussion on trade during wartime and what it means for statecraft.

Reception to follow

Trade in War: Economic Cooperation across Enemy Lines
Featured Book

Trade in War: Economic Cooperation across Enemy Lines

Trade in War is an urgent, insightful study of a puzzling wartime phenomenon: states doing business with their enemies.

Trade between belligerents during wartime should not occur. After all, exchanged goods might help enemies secure the upper hand on the battlefield. Yet as history shows, states rarely choose either war or trade. In fact, they frequently engage in both at the same time.