Chokepoints

Why it’s on the list: Fishman, who worked on sanctions at the State Department, traces how the dollar, SWIFT and export controls became the instruments of American coercion — Iran, Russia, and then China and semiconductors.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @typesfast’s question, “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet). It was listed there as “Chokepoints by Edward Fishman”.

Connections

• Geopolitics — The subject.
• Semiconductors — The chokepoint the last third of the book is about.
• Globalization — The system being weaponised.
• Foreign Policy — Where the argument lands.
• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.