September 07, 2021

Technology competition: We need more than just strategy

By: Megan Lamberth and Martijn Rasser

America is embroiled in a challenge unseen in decades: a contest with a formidable and resourceful opponent whose geostrategic ambitions are at odds with the interests and values of the world’s democracies. The rise of China presents a profound challenge to the economic competitiveness and national security of the United States and its allies and partners. At the center of this contest is technology, a driver for economic, political, and military power. China’s leaders have made scientific and technological leadership the focus area in its drive to become the world’s economic dynamo, the power center of a new geopolitical order, and a global military leader.

To maximize the potential for success, the United States must craft a new strategic approach to technology policy, one that promotes its strengths, protects its advantages, and capitalizes on its alliances and partnerships.

How U.S. leaders act in response will determine whether America maintains its status as the world’s preeminent scientific and technological power, with all the advantages that confers, or descends on a slow glide path to mediocrity. Both outcomes are plausible. Status quo policies make the latter most likely.

To maximize the potential for success, the United States must craft a new strategic approach to technology policy, one that promotes its strengths, protects its advantages, and capitalizes on its alliances and partnerships. The object should be to ensure that the United States achieve this without having to compromise its values or sovereignty.

Read the full article from The Hill.

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