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 heard about it

• Replies to @typesfast — listed as “Chokepoints by Edward Fishman” in the replies when he asked on X “What’s the best history book you’ve read?”, June 2025. Full list: What’s the best history book… (tweet).
• @patrick_oshag’s thread — named in the replies to his question “Anyone read anything thought provoking lately ?”, October 2026 (@learn_or_die_ and @semanticity, separately: “Chokepoints”). Full set of replies: Anyone read anything thought provoking… (tweet).

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.