Weaponized Interdependence

Weaponized interdependence (WI) is defined as a condition under which an actor can exploit its position in an embedded network to gain a bargaining advantage over others in a contained system. In their 2019 International Security paper, Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman argue that WI challenges long-standing ways that international relations experts think about globalization. States with political authority over central economic nodes “can weaponize networks to gather information or choke off economic and information flows, discover and exploit vulnerabilities, compel policy change, and deter unwanted actions.”

Source: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/9780815738374_ch1.pdf