ABSTRACT
Bilateral and regional trade agreements serve as a means both to promote ties between friendly states and to isolate rivals. On balance, the literature that examines the role of trade deals in promoting national security focuses on the political dimension. Yet trade deals are first and foremost economic transactions. This chapter examines the relationship between international trade and national security by offering some conceptual, if not mathematized, arguments for how trade agreements can enhance signatories’ ability to defend themselves against their enemies and rivals.
