Mark Harrison

@mark4harrison.bsky.social

977 Followers 160 Following

Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick. History of Russia, communism, two world wars, and the cold war. Economics of fighting, stealing, cheating, lying, and spying. Home page at http://warwick.ac.uk/markharrison/

Steve Broadberry (left) and Mark Harrison (right), standing by an image of our book, Economic Warfare and Sanctions since 1688

Text: Economic Warfare and Sanctions since 1688, edited by Stephen Broadberry and Mark Harrison. Illustration photo shows ship being struck by a torpedo, seen through a submarine periscope.

Four lessons are discussed: (1) Modern economies are resilient under attack. (2) The action of economic warfare is slow. (3) Economic warfare is powerful—eventually. (4) The threat of economic warfare is also powerful—although not always as hoped. To conclude, economic warfare belongs to wars of attrition. In such wars, economic and military measures are complements, not substitutes.

Soviet poster from 1958. "Don't gossip! Strictly conserve military and state secrecy!" Two Red Army soldiers, of whom one is chatting away, excited and gesticulating. The other has a warning finger to his lip. Behind, in the bushes, someone is listening attentively . . .

The Economist says some regulation is good: don't deregulate indiscriminately