December 1, 2021 – Washington, DC – The Atlantic Council today is launching the Economic Statecraft Initiative, an innovative program that will put a spotlight on some of the most impactful and controversial tools of American power – sanctions, tariffs, export controls and more. The launch features senior Biden administration officials, industry executives, regulators and journalists, who discuss issues ranging from US-EU regulatory cooperation on China to how the US frames national policy when economics – not traditional security – plays the most important role. You can register for the launch event here. 

As National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has noted, financial markets, trade and regulation have become the front lines of foreign policy. But what happens when political leadership seeks to deploy highly technical regulations that few people fully understand? Or when the success of U.S. national security lies not in the hands of the government, but in the private sector charged with implementation? These are the Initiative’s founding questions and the focus of the launch event.

The Economic Statecraft Initiative leverages deep sectoral expertise in sanctions, trade, investment, and finance to examine how America and its partners navigate policies based less on strategies than fine print, and how governments must improve their collaboration and communication with the private sector if their policies are to be successful.

The program will be directed by Julia Friedlander, C. Boyden Gray senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a former senior policy advisor at the US Treasury Department, intelligence analyst and NSC Director for European and Economic Affairs. 

Friedlander notes: “The Initiative is a focal point for technical expertise across government, academic, media, and industry, bringing together thousands of stakeholders to tackle some of the most pressing issues at the intersection between finance, regulation, and national security.”

The Economic Statecraft Initiative will be housed within the Atlantic Council GeoEconomics Center, which was founded exactly one year ago to break down the barriers between economics and foreign policy.

To learn more about the Economic Statecraft Initiative, please visit here. 

For media inquiries, please contact press@atlanticcouncil.org.