Techno-Nationalism: How It's Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics and Society?

Book Introduction | Techno-Nationalism

Techno-Nationalism: How It's Reshaping Trade, Geopolitics and Society

Alex Capri | Wiley | 2024

If one concept were to be selected to explain a significant portion of today’s geopolitical transformations, “techno-nationalism” would undoubtedly be among the most compelling choices. From restrictions on the export of advanced semiconductors to China and billions of dollars in industrial subsidies in the United States, to the European Union’s efforts to achieve digital sovereignty and India’s extensive investments in technological industries, all of these developments reflect the emergence of a new logic in which technology is viewed not merely as an engine of economic growth, but as one of the primary instruments of national power.

Alex Capri’s book Techno-Nationalism is an attempt to explain this emerging logic.

Capri is a recognized scholar of international political economy and a lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s Business School. A significant portion of his research focuses on global supply chains, U.S.-China competition, and the geopolitical implications of technology. This background has enabled him to write a book that is not merely theoretical, but rather one grounded in real-world developments and the evolving dynamics of the global economy.

The book begins with the gradual collapse of some of the fundamental assumptions underlying the era of globalization. For several decades, the dominant belief was that expanding trade, investment, and technological exchange would deepen interdependence among countries and reduce geopolitical competition. However, developments in recent years have demonstrated that interdependence can also be transformed into a tool for exerting pressure and achieving political leverage.

Within this framework, technology occupies a unique position. Unlike many other goods, advanced technologies possess economic value, military applications, and the ability to influence the balance of power among states. As a result, governments can no longer leave technological development entirely to market forces.

One of the book’s central arguments is that technological competition between the United States and China is not merely a commercial rivalry. Rather, developments in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, telecommunications networks, and advanced computing represent part of a broader struggle over shaping the future global order.

Capri explains why semiconductors have become one of the world’s most important strategic assets. Without access to advanced chips, the development of artificial intelligence, modern defense industries, communication infrastructure, and even many civilian industries would face significant constraints. Therefore, control over semiconductor manufacturing capabilities has become an issue extending far beyond economics.

However, the importance of the book is not limited to the examination of U.S.-China competition. One of its major strengths is demonstrating that techno-nationalism has become a global phenomenon. The European Union, through its digital sovereignty initiatives; India, through its technological self-reliance strategy; Japan, through rebuilding its industrial capabilities; and even smaller countries are redefining the role of technology within their national strategies.

Capri also examines the role of major technology companies—corporations that in many cases possess resources, data, and capabilities comparable to those of some governments. This situation raises fundamental questions regarding the relationship between states and technology companies. Do governments remain the primary actors in global affairs, or have technology firms also become geopolitical actors in their own right?

Behind all of these discussions lies a central message of the book: a new era of great-power competition has begun, and technology stands at the center of this competition. If oil, steel, and industrial capacity represented key indicators of power during the twentieth century, then in the twenty-first century, data, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and control over technological supply chains have acquired comparable strategic importance.

The significance of Techno-Nationalism for researchers of international relations and technopolitics lies in its ability to explain a concept that connects many seemingly separate developments of today. The book helps readers understand export restrictions, the semiconductor war, new industrial policies, U.S.-China competition, and debates over digital sovereignty not as isolated events, but as components of a broader structural transformation.

For anyone seeking to understand the geopolitics of technology in the age of artificial intelligence, this book stands among the most essential works of recent years.