TECHNOLOGICAL COERCION AS STATECRAFT: HOW CONTROL OVER EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IS RECONFIGURING THE GLOBAL MILITARY BALANCE OF POWER

Maria CONSTANTINESCU, Paul TUDORACHE

Abstract


This paper addresses the issue of technological coercion (the strategic use of control over critical technologies to exert geopolitical influence) as a defining element of 21st-century statecraft and military power. The authors employ a qualitative, case-study-driven framework to analyze how dominance in AI, data infrastructure, autonomous systems, and semiconductor supply chains has become a primary instrument of coercion, enabling states to project power without direct conflict. The analysis reveals that technological dependency creates asymmetric leverage, operational vulnerability, and a new form of “algorithmic colonialism.” The paper concludes with a preview of eight strategic recommendations for nations to build resilient and sovereign tech ecosystems, enforce algorithmic transparency, and reform international law to counter AI-driven coercion.

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