Great Power Politics in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Geoeconomics of Technological Sovereignty

Cover
Contents
Foreword by Dr Vladimir Yakunin,
Introduction: The geoeconomics of industrial revolutions
	Learning from the past
	The unpredictable world of tomorrow
	Research design
	Neoclassical realist geoeconomic theory
	Case studies of great powers
	The geoeconomics of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
1 Technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Towards national strategies
	Introduction
	Great powers and industrial revolutions
	Defining the Fourth Industrial Revolution
	Artificial intelligence
	Robotics, automation and self-driving cars
	3D printing and nanotechnology
	The Internet of Things
	Blockchain and cryptocurrencies
	Neurotechnology and biotechnology: Improving human beings
	Great power strategies in the making
2 The geoeconomics of technological sovereignty: Managing diffusion
	Introduction
	Geoeconomics and the balance of dependence
	Technology and geoeconomic levers of power
	Technology acquisition and implementation
	Acquisition
	Implementation
	Extending the first-mover advantage
	Conclusion
3 Techno-nationalism and reshoring: Fragmentation of the international division of labour
	Introduction
	Power and the international division of labour
	The first and second industrial revolutions
	The Digital Revolution
	The end of the Cold War for Allies
	The end of the Cold War between adversaries
	The dual decoupling of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
	Contested technological leadership and the splinternet
	Conclusion
4 The rise of the tech giants and the authoritarian state: Seizing the means of production
	Introduction
	The market power and political power of tech giants
	Monopolies
	Challenging the authority of the state
	Towards national champions
	The authoritarian state
	Economies of scope
	Platform monopolies and technological ecosystems
	Case study of the transportation industry as a catalyst
	United States: The leader
	China: The challenger
	Russia: The follower
	Conclusion
5 Political communication: The state, the individual and foreign powers
	Introduction
	The printing press
	The nation state asserts itself
	Digital communication technology of the Third Industrial Revolution
	Fragmentation of society
	Political instability and revolution
	Governments seizing control of the Internet
	Towards a more authoritarian state
	Towards a Westphalian Internet
	The Fourth Industrial Revolution and communication
	China leading the way
	Conclusion
6 Geoeconomics without capitalism: Decoupling capital from labour
	Introduction
	A temporary or permanent disruption to capitalism?
	Decoupling capital and labour
	Creative destruction and permanent technological unemployment
	Creative destruction in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
	New jobs in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
	Political instability and ideological alternatives
	Redistribution
	Universal basic income
	Conclusion
7 The great societal transformation: Geoeconomics without Gemeinschaft?
	Introduction
	The societal aspect of creative destruction
	Technology and the death of Gemeinschaft
	Meaning after labour: Humanity as a bored and neurotic housewife
	Reconciling the utility of technology with human nature
	The societal dilemma of geoeconomics
	Bridging Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft
	Space cowboys as the new Übermensch
	Conclusion
8 Killer robots and the return of the great power wars
	Introduction
	The offence/defence balance and arms control
	Arms control: Between strategic advantage and strategic balance
	Ending the nuclear peace?
	The nuclear peace in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
	The killer robot security dilemma
	Proxy wars: Robots, drones and swarms
	Cyber weapons: A new domain for war
	Conclusion
9 Global governance: Power, legitimacy and ungovernable technologies
	Introduction
	The rise and decline of British geoeconomic hegemony
	Legitimacy and the limits of global governance – the nation as the largest tribe
	Beyond the nation state and towards geoeconomic blocs
	Towards a United States of Europe
	The rise and decline of US geoeconomic hegemony
	Post–Cold War: Global governance without China and Russia
	China under the US liberal hegemony
	Russia under the US liberal hegemony
	Globalization as inter-regionalism
	Conclusion
Conclusion: Towards technological sovereignty
	Return of the state
	A new international system
	Covid-19 intensifying the shift towards technological sovereignty
Bibliography
Index