Three, two, one.

The world has turned dangerous.

Is the United States prepared to meet the new challenges it might face? In this special series from the President's inbox, we're bringing you conversations with Washington insiders to assess whether the United States is ready for a new, more dangerous world.

For decades, the United States government treated national security and economics as separate worlds,

but the new era of great power rivalry is blurring the line between the two.

Globalization deepened economic interconnections between countries, but that interdependence created economic vulnerabilities that rivals, and particularly China, are exploited. Because while the wars

of yesterday were fought with tanks and guns, the wars of today are economic, and they are underway.

The United States is now looking to craft an economic policy fit for a world of geopolitical

competition. Much of that

debate is focused on the steps Washington should take to protect its lead in critical technologies

by slowing Chinese innovation. Equally important, though, is crafting policies that build on American

strengths to promote U.S. innovation. That raises critical questions about government's role in the market. Can Washington

find the sweet spot that promotes economic security without stifling growth and innovation?

From the Council on Foreign Relations, welcome to the president's inbox. I'm Jim Lindsay. Joining me

today is Jonathan Hillman, a senior fellow for geo-economics here at the council.

He recently directed the council's independent task force report titled U.S. Economic Security,

winning the race for tomorrow's technologies.

You can find a copy of the report at cfr.org.

John, thank you very much for joining me.

Thanks for having me.

Listen, where I'd like to start with is with a phrase, and that phrase is economic security.

I don't recall reading much about it in the 2000s, 2000s and tens, but now it seems to be a term that is dominating conversations here in Washington, D.C.

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