This episode of the 'Great Tech Game' podcast features a discussion with Professor Abe Newman, a prominent figure at Georgetown University and the co-head of the Mortara Center for International Studies. Professor Newman is also the author of 'The Underground Empire,' a book examining how the U.S. has harnessed the global economy as a tool for weaponized interdependence. The conversation delves into the evolving dynamics of geopolitics, technology, and the economy, addressing how countries, particularly the U.S., have leveraged economic networks and infrastructure as means of coercion and surveillance. Notable topics include the role of companies like SWIFT, TSMC, and Huawei as participants in global economic strategies, the historical precedents of using economic networks for geopolitical ends, and the challenges posed by the entanglement of rivalry and interdependence in current international relations. The discussion underscores the need for a more nuanced economic security state capable of managing the existing interplay between security and economics, while suggesting a trend towards a potentially multipolar world order.