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Opinion
Techno-nationalism is now the critical battlefront in geopolitics
The assumption that technology is a neutral force driving shared progress is giving way to a reality of competition and contest
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Professor Syed Munir Khasru is chairman of the international think tank IPAG Asia-Pacific, Australia, with a presence also in Dhaka, Delhi, Dubai, and Vienna.
The revival of techno-nationalism is reshaping strategies across continents. The European Union has embraced technological sovereignty with the EU Chips Act and investments in artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technology. Japan and South Korea are diversifying supply chains and boosting domestic capacity. India is positioning itself as an alternative hub through the Make in India and Digital India initiatives, aimed at reducing reliance on both China and the West.
Export controls, industrial policy and regulatory power are the instruments of geopolitics today. The assumption that technology is a neutral force driving shared progress is giving way to a new reality: technology is becoming a front line of national strategy.
In a multipolar technological landscape, cooperation coexists uneasily with decoupling and rivalry. For instance, the United States has imposed restrictions on advanced chip exports while China, in turn, has tightened export controls on the critical minerals that are needed in hi-tech products.
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