Geoeconomics and National Security

This course is available for on-campus & remote (online) learning. All students participate in interactive, real-time classes. National security and economics are often treated as separate realms, both in policymaking and scholarship. But the early 21st century is marked by a convergence of security and economic factors in the national security challenges facing governments. This course introduces students to the intersection of security and economics, captured in the concept of ‘geoeconomics’. It focuses on the uses – and limitations – of economic relations as an instrument of state power. Students are introduced to the longstanding connection between economics and national security; basic principles of economic theory; the mechanisms/instruments of geoeconomic statecraft (such as trade, finance and institutions); contemporary geoeconomic challenges, such as economic coercion, critical infrastructure and critical technologies; and the policy challenges involved in developing national responses that integrate security and economic considerations. The course will take a global perspective, but with case studies focused on China, the Indo-Pacific and Australia. This course combines academic expertise with insights from policy practitioners. The course convener will draw upon a research background in relevant non-security disciplines (such as economics or law) to guide students towards a more integrated understanding of security and economic issues. The course will be practically focused, integrating perspectives from the national security and economic policy domains, including input from a practitioner with recent experience in developing geoeconomic policy. In line with the National Security College's signature pedagogy, the policy practitioner will serve as a discussant to contextualise academic analysis within policy experience and advise on an in-class policy exercise and a policy-oriented assessment item.