SUPPLY-CHAIN RESILIENCE AND ECONOMIC SECURITY

Abstract

Modern economies depend on complex networks that move raw materials, components, information, and finished products across borders. These networks support economic growth and specialization, but they can also transmit shocks when a supplier, transport corridor, factory, or digital system fails. This article examines the relationship between supply-chain resilience and economic security, focusing on the risks that emerge from excessive concentration, geopolitical tensions, public-health emergencies, climate-related events, logistics bottlenecks, and cyber threats. It reviews lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, semiconductor shortages, and disruptions to major maritime routes, and compares several strategies available to firms and governments. The article argues that resilience does not require countries to produce everything domestically. Instead, it requires a balanced approach that combines supplier diversification, targeted reserves of critical goods, transparent information, flexible transport networks, digital risk monitoring, and international cooperation. Particular attention is given to Uzbekistan, a landlocked economy for which reliable cross-border transport connections and predictable border procedures are especially important. The article concludes that economic security is strongest when countries reduce dangerous dependencies without abandoning the benefits of international trade.