The Largest International Business Conference in the Rocky Mountain Region

Georgetown University,
BMW Center for European Studies,
Author of Under Ground Empire

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
TOPIC: SAFEGUARDING TRADE IN A WEAPONIZED WORLD ECONOMY

Abraham L. Newman is the John Powers Chair in International Business Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Government Department, and Director of the BMW Center for German and European Studies. His research focuses on the political dynamics of globalization, particularly how economic networks shape power, risk, and international conflict.

He is widely known for coining the term weaponized interdependence (with Henry Farrell), which explains how states leverage global systems such as finance, information, and supply chains to achieve strategic goals. More recently, he has explored the concept of neo-royalism, examining how personalist leaders and elite networks are reshaping the global order.

Newman is the co-author of Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy (2023), which received the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Bronze Medal and was named one of the best books of the year by Foreign Affairs. He also co-authored Of Privacy and Power (2019), an award-winning analysis of transatlantic tensions over security and civil liberties.

His work has been published in leading academic journals including International Organization, International Security, Science, and World Politics, and he is a frequent contributor to major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times.