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99 Foreign Aff. 112 (2020)
Uniting the Techno-Democracies: How to Build Digital Cooperation

handle is hein.journals/fora99 and id is 1186 raw text is: Uniting the Techno- Democracies How to Build Digital Cooperation fared Cohen and Richard Fontaine At the outset of the digital age, democracies seemed ascendant. The United States and like-minded countries were at the cutting edge of technological development. Policymakers were pointing to the inherently liberalizing effect of the Internet, which seemed a threat to dictators everywhere. The United States' techno- logical advantage made its military more potent, its economy more prosperous, and its democracy, at least in theory, more vibrant. Since then, autocratic states have caught up. China is at the forefront, no longer a mere rising power in technology and now an American peer. In multiple areas-including facial and voice recognition, 5G technol- ogy, digital payments, quantum communications, and the commercial drone market-it has surpassed the United States. Leaders in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Venezuela, and elsewhere are increasingly using technology for illiberal ends, following China's example. And despite the United States' remaining advantage in some technologies, such as artificial intelligence (Ar) and semiconductor production, it has fallen behind China in formulating an overall strategy for their use. Almost in parallel, the United States and its allies have stepped away from their tradition of collaboration. Instead of working together on issues of common interest, they have been pulled apart by diverg- ing national interests and have responded incoherently to autocratic JARED COHEN is a former member of the U.S. State Department's Policy Planning Staff. He currently serves as CEO of Jigsaw and is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. RICHARD FONTAINE is CEO of the Center for a New American Security. He has worked at the U.S. Department of State, on the National Security Council, and as a foreign policy adviser to U.S. Senator John McCain. 112 FOREIGN AFFAIRS

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