Cybersecurity & Tech Executive Branch

Lawfare Daily: Steve Brooks and Ben Vagle on U.S.-China Economic Competition

Matt Gluck, Ben Vagle, Stephen Brooks, Jen Patja
Wednesday, August 13, 2025, 7:00 AM
Does the United States’ have the economic advantage over China?

Published by The Lawfare Institute
in Cooperation With
Brookings

In their new book, “Command of Commerce: America’s Enduring Economic Power Advantage Over China,” Steve Brooks and Ben Vagle argue that the United States’ economic advantage over China is much larger than is commonly believed. They contend that if the United States were to cut China off from the U.S. economy and from the economies of U.S. allies, China would suffer significantly more than the United States. 

Matt Gluck, Executive Editor at Executive Functions, spoke with Brooks and Vagle about the size and nature of the gap in economic power between the two countries, the importance of U.S. alliances in maintaining economic leverage over China, why decoupling from China now would undermine this leverage, and more. 

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Matt Gluck is a former research fellow at Lawfare. He holds a BA in government from Dartmouth College.
Ben Vagle is the co-author of “Command of Commerce: America’s Enduring Economic Power Advantage Over China."
Stephen Brooks is a professor of government at Dartmouth College. He is a co-author of "Command of Commerce: America's Enduring Economic Power Advantage over China."
Jen Patja is the editor of the Lawfare Podcast and Rational Security, and serves as Lawfare’s Director of Audience Engagement. Previously, she was Co-Executive Director of Virginia Civics and Deputy Director of the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier, where she worked to deepen public understanding of constitutional democracy and inspire meaningful civic participation.
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