The Geopolitics Of Technical Standards
Dear Reader,
I hope you are doing well. This past week at Takshashila was prolific, with our research work covering issues as diverse as the geopolitics of technology and what India can bring to COP26.
The Geopolitics Of Technical Standards
International standards in technologies are the guidelines for regulations that need to be adhered to when developing, deploying, and using technologies. These standards form the basis of a global technology governance framework that helps in the development of agreed-upon norms and procedures worldwide.
However, recent developments, like states using these technical standards as potential geopolitical tools, have added a new dimension to the process of technical standard-setting. Our new discussion document, by Arjun Gargeyas, titled Navigating the Geopolitics of International Technical Standards for India, analyses the geopolitics of standard setting. The aspects covered in the document include:
1. The role of standards in the growth and governance of emerging interoperable technologies across the globe. The broad geopolitical implications of influencing the standards-setting process.
2. Approaches for setting standards around the globe. This is in the context of China’s evolving role in influencing international standards in strategic technologies and its potential consequences.
3. The existing framework for setting standards in India and how the framework can be reinvented to match global standard requirements.
4. Bridging the gap between technology and foreign policy, keeping in mind the geopolitical aspects of technical standards. The approaches India can follow include:
• The effective use of government machinery to assess and recommend technical standards.
• Increasing India’s involvement in the working of international standards organisations.
• Using diplomatic ties for increased cooperation in the technical standards domain.
India In The Arctic
Climate change and the consequent thawing of the permafrost in the Arctic have geopolitical implications. Aditya Pareek and Ruturaj Gowaikar, in their article in the Hindustan Times, highlight these implications and analyse them from an Indian national interest perspective. They make a case for India engaging with the EU and Russia when it comes to the Arctic, in order to focus on areas such as climate science and biosecurity, while being mindful of the conflict between the EU and Russia’s priorities. They write:
Cooperation on researching the melting permafrost in the Arctic region can bring together the EU, Russia and India. Russia not only faces biosecurity and economic challenges but also a physical threat to its existing infrastructure - which was not built with thawing permafrost mitigation measures during Soviet times. India may also have a stake in helping Russia study and mitigate this threat, as its investments in hydrocarbon and other infrastructure in the region could be affected too which may lead to financial losses. A multi stakeholder and multi faceted approach is not only consistent with India’s direction in the Arctic but also the need of the hour.
What Next For Globalisation?
In an article in The Hindu, Nitin Pai discusses the growing discontent with globalisation. He highlights how asymmetric globalisation, which allowed Chinese firms to acquire market shares in open democracies while foreign firms were walled out of China, has contributed in making Beijing powerful. As a reaction to this:
We are currently witnessing a global retreat from the free movement of goods, services, capital, people and ideas. But this should not be understood as a reaction to globalisation itself, but of its skewed pattern over the past four decades.
Nitin argues that “bubbles of trust” created by groupings of democracies, such as the Quad, are imperative to maintaining international trade, while ensuring that their shared geopolitical interests and democratic values are upheld. This will create a middle path between the extremes of self-reliance and laissez faire globalization. He writes:
The popular backlash against China – exacerbated by the economic disruption of the pandemic – is pushing Quad governments towards policies of self-reliance. But while reorienting and de-risking global supply chains is one thing, pursuing technological sovereignty is inherently self-defeating. When it comes to critical and emerging technologies, no single country can replicate the combined genius of the world. Worse still, inward-looking policies often acquire a life of their own and contribute to geopolitical marginalisation.
There is a better way. A convergence of values and geopolitical interests means Quad countries are uniquely placed to envelop their economies inside bubbles of trust, starting with the technology sector. Complementarities in capabilities can power innovation and growth.
What India Can Bring To COP26
Beginning this weekend, heads of states of the member countries of the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention (UNFCCC), will head to the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) to discuss climate change. In this context, Arjun Gargeyas wrote an article in the Diplomat making a case for how COP26 presents an opportunity for India to become an influential leader on issues relating to climate change. In it, Arjun highlights various initiatives India has taken in clean energy and other areas, while arguing that the impending coal shortage in India makes it even more critical that a transition to renewable energy sources is done effectively. He writes:
Despite reports that India is down to the last of its coal reserves with a possibility of an incoming coal shortage, the country still remains committed to achieving its renewable energy goals. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has stated that India is on course to achieve its target of installed capacity from non-fossil fuel energy sources. A total of 450 GW of renewable energy installed capacity is set to be achieved by the end of 2030 as per government reports.
The steadfast nature of India toward achieving its climate goals can be an ideal story for both developing and developed countries across the world. This makes India’s presence at global climate forums imperative to develop a cohesive plan of action to tackle future climate crises.
Should India Make Semiconductors?
While semiconductor design has always been a strong suit for India, the extremely complicated manufacturing process of semiconductor chips has never taken off in the country. Should India stick to its strengths or go all in to create a state-of-the-art fabrication facility to compete on the global stage?
In a special video podcast, Arjun Gargeyas talks to Pranay Kotasthane on India's potential foray into semiconductors manufacturing and why it may not matter in the long run. Watch now!
AI Regulation: A Global Policy Challenge
The use of Artificial Intelligence technologies is on a rise across the globe. Countries are increasingly demonstrating a keen interest in regulating their use and the effects of such technologies on civic life. In the 25th October episode of All Things Policy, Sapni G K and Megha Pardhi join Mihir Mahajan to look beyond the buzzwords and discuss regulatory initiatives that target the use of AI technologies.
Glimpses From Takshashila’s Weekend
At Takshashila, weekends are synonymous with delivering top-notch education to the students of our public policy programmes. Here are a few glimpses from the last weekend:
On Saturday, 23rd October, We began our short course on ‘Evidence-based policy-making for responding to COVID-19’. With participants from a diverse range professions, each session was rich with discussion.
First up, Pranay Kotasthane introduced the participants to the 8-Fold Path to Public Policy in India. In the second session, Suman Joshi spoke to them about the things governments do, within the context of the policies we’ve seen during the pandemic.
Parallelly, Dr. Ajay Shah discussed public choice theory with the participants of our post-graduate programme in public policy (PGP). He spoke about how individuals, firms and political actors respond to incentives. This was the second lecture of his course on the art and science of economic policy for the PGP 2021 cohort.
What We Have Been Reading
This week’s book deals with the intersection of digital technologies with activism and political dissent in China. Recommending it, Megha Pardhi says:
While researching the nature of digital activism in China, one of the books I reread on the topic was The Other Digital China: Nonconfrontational Activism on the Social Web by Late Prof. Jing Wang.
Jing Wang was a Professor of Chinese media and Cultural Studies and S.C. Fang Professor of Chinese Language & Culture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She wrote this book based on her decade-long experience of working as the founder and secretary-general of “NGO 2.0” in China. This book provides an insightful account of digital activism in the country and use of social media for the same. It has case studies from early days of social media to some recent trends and also highlights the role of tech giants in facilitating such activities.
Get reading!
That’s it from us this week.
Take care and stay safe!