A Public Health Response to Economic Warfare

Abstract

President Trump's 2025 implementation of tariffs has been described as a form of economic warfare. The public health community has long viewed conventional forms of warfare as a determinant of health and developed appropriate responses. In this editorial, we argue that this community must now respond in a similar way to all forms of economic warfare. We describe the ways in which economic warfare is waged, which include tariffs, trade sanctions, currency manipulation, and cyberattacks, and the health consequences that arise from them. Drawing on historical examples like the Opium Wars, we highlight the intertwined nature of economic and military conflicts. We also describe how advances in technology have created new opportunities, such as the exclusion of Russia from the SWIFT payment system. The health consequences are profound, with research indicating declines in life expectancy and disruptions in access to essential medicines and equipment. We argue for a comprehensive public health response, made urgent by the rejection, by the current U.S. administration, of the post-war international order. We call for use of innovative research methods to assess the health impacts of economic measures, drawing parallels with studies on the health effects of military conflicts and economic crises and advocacy for a proactive public health stance, akin to the efforts of organisations like the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, to make visible the health consequences of economic warfare and help those who seek to hold governments accountable for their actions.