Techno-Nationalism

The essential book on technology-related competition between nations and its impact on the world

Nations have long sought to use technology as a power-multiplier for their own ambitions. In the twenty-first century, at a time of unprecedented innovation, the United States and China are in a race to achieve technological superiority. But how will this affect long-standing trade ties and the international landscape?

Techno-nationalism holds that a nation’s economic strength and its national security—even its social stability—are linked to the technological prowess of its institutions and enterprises. From artificial intelligence and biotechnology to semiconductors and quantum science, nations that fall behind in the technology race risk becoming permanent losers, with potentially catastrophic consequences. After decades of trade liberalisation and free-flowing investment into China, a paradigm shift amongst a bloc of like-minded, mostly Western countries, has set in motion epic change. Techno-nationalism is reorganising the global economy.

Alex Capri, who spent decades as a trade and supply chain professional in China and throughout the world, lays out the dynamics of this change and its underlying themes, from the paradox facing U.S.-China commercial linkages to the grey zones in which states and firms must now try to coexist. He provides a realist’s perspective of both the challenges and opportunities facing international actors.

Regarding the elements of techno-nationalism, Capri paints a masterful picture of the strategic decoupling of supply chains and the re-shoring of key manufacturing ecosystems such as semiconductors. He provides an illuminating account of the geopolitics of data, and the fragmentation of the digital landscape, as well as the bifurcation of financial markets, academia, and R&D around Chinese and American spheres of influence.

These themes carry through to Capri’s fascinating accounts of the modern-day space-race, and space-based Internet, undersea cables, hypersonic warfare, the AI arms race, drones, and robotics. The book’s clear explanations of semiconductors and their importance are highly useful.

Techno-Nationalism is a must-read for business and government leaders, investors and strategists, academics, journalists, NGOs, or anyone who wants to experience a thoroughly entertaining and educational account of one the most important issues of our time.