Abstract
Knowledge enhancing technology is crucial for national security, economic growth, and soft power in governance. With the advances in data-processing technologies including 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), data is now labelled as the “new oil”, the engine of economic growth. With the emergence of data as the world’s most wanted geopolitical resource, nation states face opportunities as well challenges to handle the data in the ways that enhance their capabilities in all three realms of power (economic, military, and ideational). The US ban on Huawei’s 5G technology as well as the introduction of new restrictions on China’s access to American technology is the case in point. Seen in the 5G rivalry, the US seeks to limit China’s access to global markets in the name of national security and frames China’s pursuit of technological independence as unfair trade practices. As state actors try to legitimize their policies, they are fiercely engaged in an on-going war on ideological framing and soft power. Exploring the geopolitical competition between the world’s leading technology superpowers, this paper critically discusses the contested narratives on national sovereignty and maps out policy tools of statecraft in managing data infrastructure.
Presenters
Stefan LitzAssociate Professor, Department of Management, St. Francis Xavier University, Canada Mi Park
Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Governance, Nations, Sovereignty, Hegemony, Imperialism
