The Digital Curtain (Paperback)

Paperback. THE DIGITAL CURTAINHow Competing Technology Ecosystems Are Deepening Global Political FragmentationThe world is entering a new era of technological division.For decades, globalization was built on the assumption that technology would bring economies, businesses, and societies closer together. Digital networks expanded across borders, supply chains became increasingly interconnected, and the internet created unprecedented opportunities for communication and commerce.That era is changing.Today, competing technology ecosystems are emerging around different standards, platforms, infrastructures, data regimes, semiconductor supply chains, artificial intelligence systems, and digital rules. The result is not simply technological competition. It is the gradual formation of a new digital geography in which technology increasingly reflects-and reinforces-political and economic divisions.The Digital Curtain explores how this transformation is reshaping globalization and creating new forms of fragmentation.From artificial intelligence and semiconductors to cloud computing, digital platforms, cybersecurity, telecommunications, and data governance, the book examines the strategic importance of technological ecosystems and the growing competition between different models of digital development.Rather than treating technology as a neutral force, this book examines technology as an increasingly important component of geopolitical power. Decisions about standards, infrastructure, data, platforms, and access to critical technologies can influence trade relationships, industrial policy, national security, corporate strategy, and international cooperation.The emerging landscape is more complex than a simple division between two opposing blocs. Countries and companies often participate in multiple ecosystems simultaneously, balancing economic interests, technological dependencies, regulatory requirements, and strategic concerns. This creates a world characterized not only by rivalry, but also by selective cooperation, technological interdependence, and competing forms of digital sovereignty.The Digital Curtain explores key questions: - How are competing technology ecosystems reshaping globalization?- Why have semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data, and digital infrastructure become strategic assets?- How can technological standards influence economic and political relationships?- What happens when digital ecosystems become increasingly incompatible?- How are governments and companies responding to technological dependencies?- Could technological fragmentation create a new form of geopolitical division?- What does the emerging digital landscape mean for international business and the future of global economic integration?Drawing connections between technology, economics, geopolitics, and international business, this book provides a framework for understanding a world in which technological choices increasingly carry strategic consequences.The central question is not whether globalization will disappear.It is whether globalization can continue to function when the technologies that connect the world are increasingly organized into competing ecosystems.The Digital Curtain offers a timely exploration of the forces transforming the relationship between technology, economic interdependence, and global political fragmentation. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…