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The Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)

Advancing global nonproliferation through research, training, and collaboration.

About PISCES

The Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES) is dedicated to conducting research and outreach on policy issues that intersect the realms of economics and security. 

Five members of the PISCES team pose for a photo on a staircase in front of a building.

A range of important topics exist at this cross-roads, including the proliferation of strategic and military technologies, border security, illicit trade, and the use of sanctions, strategic trade controls and foreign aid by governments as tools of economic statecraft.

In many cases, these topics overlap with one another and require a holistic approach to gain the greatest understanding of them.

One of the key goals of PISCES is to contribute to the greater good through conducting research on these issues and raising global understanding and awareness of them.

Another goal is to draw on our members’ practical and research-based expertise to responsibly contribute to crafting more effective policies for the private sector, governments, and international organizations.

PISCES also contributes to the educational mission of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy by teaching a rising generation of students about these issues.

Our Expertise

PISCES was founded in 2012 with dual missions of advancing knowledge on issues that intersect the realms of economics and security, and helping to craft better policies in those areas.

The Project was founded by Dr. Bryan R. Early and a team of policy professionals with expertise in areas of nonproliferation, border security, strategic trade control, and international and regulatory law. 

The PISCES team has expertise in the following areas:

  • Legal-regulatory design of strategic trade control systems

  • Implementation and enforcement of strategic trade control systems

  • Industry outreach and strategic trade controls

  • Economic Sanctions Design, Implementation, and Enforcement

  • Evaluating Diversion Risks Related to Economic Sanctions and Strategic Trade Controls

  • Conducting comprehensive training workshops for government personnel on strategic trade controls and economic sanctions

  • Developing educational materials for strategic trade controls, including creating EXBS’s ICP Guidelines Website and “Train the Trainer” curriculum

PISCES team members have conducted trainings on behalf of, and consulted with, dozens of governments throughout the world in the areas of nonproliferation, strategic trade controls and economic sanctions.

The PISCES team has a truly global perspective in working on strategic trade and sanctions issues through working extensively with the U.S. Department of State’s EXBS Program.

Past & Present Outreach Activities

PISCES has worked with the following countries:

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Argentina

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

Belize

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil

Bulgaria

Cambodia

Chile

China

Croatia

Dominican Republic

Egypt

Estonia

Georgia

India

Indonesia

Israel

Jamaica

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kosovo

Kyrgyzstan

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lithuania

Malaysia

Mexico

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

North Macedonia

Panama

Philippines

Romania

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Korea

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Tajikistan

Thailand

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

Uzbekistan

Vietnam

Our Team

Mutti Anggitta
Mutti Anggitta
Research Analyst
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
Ryan L. Cathie
Ryan L. Cathie
Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
Bryan Early
Bryan Early
Professor
Department of Political Science; International Affairs; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Nolan Fahrenkopf
Nolan Fahrenkopf
Fellow, Adjunct Professor
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES); Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Nolan Fahrenkopf
Nolan Fahrenkopf
Fellow, Adjunct Professor
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES); Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Togzhan Kassenova
Togzhan Kassenova
Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
Jay P. Nash
Jay P. Nash
Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
Crystal D. Pryor
Crystal D. Pryor
Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
Lara Stenberg
Lara Stenberg
Senior Fellow
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
Affiliates
Keith A. Preble
Keith A. Preble
Research Associate
Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft (PISCES)
Research Assistants
Mateo Childs
Mateo Childs
Mateo Childs.

Mateo Childs is a Graduate Research Assistant pursuing a Master’s degree in International Affairs at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a concentration in Global Politics and a minor in Globalization Studies, from the State University of New York at Albany where he graduated Cum Laude and was inducted into the Pi Sigma Alpha honor society.  

Mateo has engaged in extensive coursework centered around security studies, global governance, and economic statecraft, with a particular focus on strategic technologies and the East Asian region. 

In 2024, Mateo served as an intern with the Project on International Security, Commerce, and Economic Statecraft, where he conducted research on strategic trade control policy in select Southeast Asian states.

News

Publications & Institutional Resources

Explore curated resources to support your work in strategic trade controls (STCs), sanctions, proliferation financing, research security, and export compliance. The resources are organized by topic for accessibility and usability.

Strategic Trade Controls (STC) & Export Compliance
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Sanctions & Proliferation Financing
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Research Security & Academia
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Global Legal Frameworks & Best Practices
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Publications & Institutional Resources
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Publications by PISCES Experts
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Strategic Trade Controls (STC) & Export Compliance
General STC Resources
National STC Frameworks and Case Studies
National STC Frameworks and Case Studies
Technology Transfer & ITT Management
Emerging Technology Controls
Emerging Technology Controls
Control Lists
End-Use and Classification Tools
End-Use and Classification Tools
Enforcement & ICP Resources
Sanctions & Proliferation Financing
PISCES Expert Publications
PISCES Expert Publications
Key Global Guidance
Research Security & Academia
Research Compliance & Security
Research Compliance & Security
Global Legal Frameworks & Best Practices
Comparative Legal Frameworks
Comparative Legal Frameworks

Publications by PISCES Experts

 

2025

Keith A. Preble, Crystal D. Pryor, and Luke McFadden. 2025. “SWOT Analysis of Japan — Mapping Japan’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for Dual-use research, trade and industrial cooperation between the EU and Japan.” Minerva Policy Reports, EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.

 

2024

Bapat, Navtin, Bryan Early, Julia Grauvogel, and Katja Kleinberg. 2024. "The Currency Constraint: Explaining the Selective Enforcement of U.S. Financial Sanctions," Foreign Policy Analysis, vol. 20, no. 4.

Early, Bryan R. and Timothy Peterson. 2024. “The Enforcement of U.S. Economic Sanctions and Global De-Risking Behavior.” Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 68, no. 10.

Kassenova, Togzhan. 2024. “Kazakhstan’s nuclear power conundrum.” The Diplomat, 1 October. 

Pryor, Crystal, and Keith Preble. "Tracking the Implementation of Strategic Trade Controls (STCs)." SSRN, October 1, 2024. https://ssrn.com/abstract=5154065.  

Preble, Keith A., and Charmaine N. Willis Ward. Trading with Pariahs: Trade Networks and the Failure of Economic Sanctions. Lexington Books, 2024. 

Preble, Keith A., and Charmaine N. Willis. "Trading with Pariahs: North Korean Sanctions and the Challenge of Weaponized Interdependence." Global Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 2, 2024, pp. 1-16. 

Preble, Keith A., and Bryan R. Early. "Enforcing Economic Sanctions by Tarnishing Corporate Reputations." Business and Politics, vol. 26, no. 1, 2024, pp. 102-123. 

Kassenova, Togzhan. "Kazakhstan’s Irreversible Disarmament." Journal for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament, vol. 7, no. 1, 2024, pp. 60-70.

 

2023 

Kassenova, Togzhan, and Bryan R. Early. "Countering the Challenges of Proliferation Financing." Center for Policy Research, University at Albany, State University of New York, July 2023. 

Fahrenkopf, Nolan. "War in Ukraine Is Contributing to the Erosion of Global Consensus Over the Spread of Dangerous Weapons." The Conversation, 2023. https://theconversation.com/war-in-ukraine-is-contributing-to-the-erosion-of-global-consensus-over-the-spread-of-dangerous-weapons-211850

 

2022 

Early, Bryan R., Nolan Fahrenkopf, Michael C. Horowitz, and James Igoe Walsh. "Climbing the Ladder: Explaining Vertical Proliferation of Cruise Missiles." Journal of Conflict Resolution, vol. 66, no. 6, 2022, pp. 955-982. 

Kassenova, Togzhan. Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb. Stanford University Press, 2022. 

Kassenova, Togzhan. "Kazakhstan’s Nuclear History: Lessons for the Future of Disarmament." Verifying Disarmament in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, UNIDIR, 2022, pp. 51-61. 

Kassenova, Togzhan. "Project Sapphire: How to Keep 600 Kilograms of Kazakh Highly Enriched Uranium Safe." War on the Rocks, April 1, 2022. https://warontherocks.com/2022/04/project-sapphire-how-to-keep-600-tons-of-kazakh-highly-enriched-uranium-safe/ 

Kassenova, Togzhan. "How Kazakhstan Fought Back Against Soviet Nuclear Tests." Carnegie Photo Essay, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, February 14, 2022.

 

2021 

Early, Bryan R. “Birds of a feather, do sanctioned states flock together?” Foreign Policy Analysis, vol. 73, no. 3.

Early, Bryan R. “Making Sanctions Work: Promoting Compliance, Punishing Violations, and Discouraging Sanctions Busting” in Peter van Bergeijk, ed., Research Handbook on Economic Sanctions, 2021. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Nash, Jay P. Asia Pacific Strategic Trade Controls. WorldECR, 2021. 

Fahrenkopf, Nolan. "Taliban, Islamic State Arm Themselves with Weapons US Left Behind." The Conversation, 2021. https://theconversation.com/taliban-islamic-state-arm-themselves-with-weapons-us-left-behind-167960 

Fahrenkopf, Nolan. "The Security of Arms Transfers During the War on Terror." Academic Minute, 2021. https://academicminute.org/the-academic-minute-for-2021-12-20-2021-12-24/ 

Fahrenkopf, Nolan, Rachel Brush, and Jay P. Nash. "Indonesia." Asia Pacific Strategic Trade Controls, WorldECR, 2021. 

Anggitta, Mutti. "Understanding Strategies of Anti-Nuclear Movement: A Study of ICAN." Jurnal Politica, vol. 12, no. 1, 2021. https://jurnal.dpr.go.id/index.php/politica/article/download/1924/945 

Cathie, Ryan. "Bangladesh" and "Pakistan." Asia Pacific Strategic Trade Controls, WorldECR, 2021. https://www.worldecr.com/books/ 

 

2020 

Early, Bryan R., and Keith A. Preble.Going Fishing versus Hunting Whales: Explaining Changes in How the US Enforces Economic Sanctions.” Security Studies, vol. 29, no. 2, 2020, pp. 231-267. 

Early, Bryan R. and Keith Preble. “Enforcing US Economic Sanctions: Why Whale Hunting Works.” The Washington Quarterly, 202, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 159-175.

Kassenova, Togzhan, Lucas Perez Florentino, and Matias Spektor. "Prospects for Nuclear Governance in Brazil." FGV, 2020. 

Kassenova, Togzhan. "2020 U.N. North Korea Panel of Experts Report: Takeaways for Financial Institutions." ACAMS Today, web edition, May 18, 2020. 

Pryor, Crystal D. "Japan." Asia-Pacific Strategic Trade Controls, WorldECR/D.C. Houghton Ltd., February 2020. https://www.riskcompliance.biz/books/asia-pacific-strategic-trade-controls/ 

 

2019 

Fahrenkopf, Nolan. "Giving Saudi Arabia Guided Munitions Tech Could Have Huge Consequences." War on the Rocks, 2019. https://warontherocks.com/2019/07/giving-saudi-arabia-guided-munitions-tech-could-have-huge-consequences/ 

Kassenova, Togzhan. "Proliferation Financing: What Financial Institutions Should Know and What They Can Do." ACAMS Today, September-November 2019. 

Kassenova, Togzhan. "2019 U.N. North Korea Panel of Experts Report: Takeaways for Financial Institutions." ACAMS Today, web edition, March 27, 2019. 

Pryor, Crystal D. "US Controls on High-Tech Exports to China Will Backfire." Nikkei Asian Review, December 5, 2019. https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/US-controls-on-high-tech-exports-to-China-will-backfire 

 

2016

Early, Bryan R. “Confronting the Implementation and Enforcement Challenges Involved in Imposing Economic Sanctions,” In Natalino Ronzitti’s, Ed., Coercive Diplomacy, Sanctions and International Law, 2016, Boston: Brill Nijhoff, pp. 43-69.

 

2015

Early, Bryan R. Busted Sanctions: Explaining Why Economic Sanctions Fail. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Early, Bryan R. and Robert Spice. “Economic sanctions, international institutions, and sanctions busters: when does institutionalized cooperation help sanctioning efforts?” Foreign Policy Analysis vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 339-360.

 

2011

Stinnett, Douglas, Bryan R. Early, Cale Horne, and Johannes Karreth. “Complying by Denying: Explaining Why States Develop Nonproliferation Export Controls,” International Studies Perspectives, 2011, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 308-326.