Other example --- It is interesting that the term ‘technonationalism’ is becoming increasingly popular in foreign policy circles. Perhaps if International Relations scholars like Hans Morgenthau would write about it, they would say that technology is another component or power and a competition to dominate the field is absolutely natural. This nationalism has two dimensions: national security and business interests. The two mingle closely, and it not easy to distinguish when decisions are made in pursuit of one or the other. We have the famous example of the Chinese company Huawei, blocked in the US, in parallel with the Chinese government’s efforts to replace all foreign-made software and hardware (particularly American and European) used by their agencies. But other countries are starting to adopt nationalistic practices. For example, in 2016 the Russian Government issued a decree on procurement that would favor national ICT companies over foreign ones. This way, government agencies would give preference to national providers. The decision was primarily economically motivated, because Russia’s ICT industry is growing and has potential for development. But national security considerations also played a role, given the country’s strained relations with the US and their allies. An interesting piece (in English) about this Russian decree can be found here: https://bit.ly/3cnnP0d The move has been followed by fiscal support measures aimed at keeping the momentum of the IT industry in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source author: Juan Feliciano Ascencio Moctezuma jascencio@sre.gob.mx