I had a chance to moderate a great discussion with Chris Hughes, the economist and cofounder of Facebook, about his new book Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy, along with Eddie Fishman and Jessica Brandt. The book examines attempts by both sides of the political aisle to shape or manage markets for political or social ends across many industries – finance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, aviation, and others. We looked at examples where these efforts had worked well (e.g. the Federal Reserve), where they hadn’t (e.g. government involvement in healthcare) and what lessons could be drawn from history (e.g. the importance of institutional accountability and responsiveness to ever-changing markets). We reviewed recent attempts to shape technology markets (AI, semiconductors) to help achieve geopolitical goals and shared perspectives on how likely they were to be successful. You can listen to the whole discussion here.
Technology’s Transformation of Geopolitics
Of all of the spheres of human activity that are being radically transformed by technology, one of the most consequential is geopolitics. Advances in technology are rapidly increasing national security vulnerabilities, changing the way countries compete and requiring a radical rethink of defense and intelligence strategies. Although the U.S. continues to lead the world in technology innovation, it has been surprisingly behind the curve in this transformation.
One organization that I believe can help the U.S. advance its thinking in this area is the Council on Foreign Relations, and I’m excited to join its Board of Directors. The CFR is one of the world’s leading foreign policy think tanks and perhaps the most prominent forum for debate about the role of the U.S. in the world. The organization has been ramping up its research activities in technology over the past several years and recently published reports on how to defend the country against digital election interference by foreign countries, how to share cyber threat information between the public and private sectors and how to ensure that the U.S. maintain its global leadership in science and technology.
The world is in a vulnerable state, and I believe the CFR has never been more needed. Beyond the current pandemic, the rules-based international order established by the U.S. and its allies after World War II is rapidly deteriorating. Democracy is in retreat, and autocracy, nationalism and instability are on the rise. Global problems beyond the reach of individual countries to solve on their own are also on the rise, including climate change, pandemics and cyber threats. It’s time for new ideas about how the U.S. should address these issues and how we can best harness technology to make the world a safer place. I believe the CFR can contribute meaningfully to these discussions and am looking forward getting more involved.
If you are interested in contributing to these discussions, I would encourage you to become a member.