The Florida Bar’s International Law Quarterly (Spring 2025) has published an article by Poblete Tamargo attorney Arthur Freyre, titled Defining Economic Security in the Trump Administration. The piece offers a practical two-step framework to assess “economic security” claims—(1) track policy trends shaping U.S. foreign policy and (2) evaluate the President’s stated objectives—and applies it to Trump-era strategy. The analysis is relevant to clients navigating sanctions, export controls, trade policy, and supply-chain risk.
Why it matters. Economic security has moved to the center of national security practice—impacting sanctions and export controls, trade remedies, investment screening, and supply-chain resilience. Freyre’s framework helps practitioners and decision-makers distinguish legitimate security concerns from political rhetoric and improves how legal teams assess risk and compliance strategy.
Key takeaways from the article
- “Economic security” lacks a single definition; a clear analytical framework reduces ambiguity.
- The National Security Strategy (NSS) remains a primary reference point for understanding executive priorities.
- Recent shocks—COVID-19 supply chains, tariffs, and great-power competition—elevated economic tools of statecraft.
- Applying a disciplined framework supports better counseling on sanctions, export controls, and trade policy.