THE CONTEXT: State behaviour is increasingly being shaped by a desire to acquire, secure or manipulate emerging technologies or the supply chains that produce them. This emerging friction will continue to accelerate as ‘techno-nationalism’ increasingly underpins industrial and trade policy choices.
HOW SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGICAL DIPLOMACY CAN SHAPE GLOBAL GEOPOLITICS?
- Science in Diplomacy: It means the scientific inputs going into diplomacy and foreign policy making.
o Global challenges such as weapons of mass destruction, climate change, cyber security, human health, energy and environment, outer space etc., all require scientific inputs in order to understand and deal with them.
o These challenges are trans-border and require the application of science and technology in order to resolve them in addition to normal diplomatic efforts. - Science for Diplomacy: It offers alternative channels of engagement among countries that may have political differences, thus playing an important role by influencing the dynamics of power-balance between sovereign nations
o Scientific values of rationality, transparency and universality are the same the world over. S&T cooperation, therefore, provides a non-ideological environment for the participation and free exchange of ideas. - Diplomacy for Science: It means making use of diplomacy to gain benefits in science and technology – bilaterally as well as multilaterally.
o It seeks to acquire science and technology knowledge to strengthen the national economy and capacity and to participate more effectively in international discussions where science and technology are involved.
HISTORIC SCIENCE DIPLOMACY APPROACH OF INDIA
- India’s global priorities in science and technology were clearly articulated by its first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru during his address to the country’s Science Congress on January 21, 1959.
- Nehru was aware of both the constructive and destructive power of science and made India’s intention of seeking international scientific advances for the country’s development and rise clear with added emphasis on averseness to inter-state rivalries.
- This template would set the tone for India’s international science and technology engagement for much of the 20th century and met with mixed results as more powerful states, such as the United States, sought to curb its ambitions in critical spheres such as its nuclear and space programmers.
- Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been categorical in placing science and technology at the forefront of the country’s diplomatic engagement.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SCIENCE DIPLOMACY
- Science diplomacy is analogous to economic diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, or sports diplomacy. The popular way of looking at science diplomacy is to regard it as composed of three components –‘science in diplomacy’, ‘diplomacy for science, and ‘science for diplomacy.
- Science in diplomacy means the scientific inputs going into diplomacy and foreign policy making. Diplomacy for science means making use of diplomacy to gain benefits in science and technology – bilaterally as well as multilaterally and globally. Science for diplomacy means using science and technology collaboration to bring countries which have differences together.
- Science diplomacy would be the integration of science and technology into the diplomatic and foreign policy framework, which not only determines its increasing importance in international relations but also determines global competitiveness, where the role of knowledge-based industries is becoming increasingly critical.
THE DEVELOPMENT MADE SO FAR
- The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2013 was one of the instances that an intersection of technology and diplomacy found a mention in an official government document.
o The document states that the “policy framework will enable strategic partnerships and alliances with other nations through both bilateral and multilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation.
o Science diplomacy, technology synergy and technology acquisition models will be judiciously deployed based on strategic relationships. - International Solar Alliance (ISA) 2015 was launched by India and France to boost solar energy in developing countries.
- It is an association of 121 signatory countries which majorly are sunshine countries (countries lying between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn), and is an excellent example of modern-day science diplomacy.
- Draft Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 2020 discusses the role of Science & Technology in re-organising India’s foreign policy priorities and shaping the global technology ecosystem.
- In 2020, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) created technically specialised divisions, such as the cyber diplomacy division, e-governance and information technology division, and the new emerging and strategic technologies division.
Challenges
- Interdependence With China
o China’s Communist Party shares an opaque relationship with the country’s industrial and business sectors. The convergence of policies such as the Make in China 2025 Initiative and the Civil-Military Fusion Initiative, and China’s national cyber security laws, have arguably turned China’s technology ecosystem into an effective extension of its intelligence and information power. - Navigating Technological Protectionism
o Another domain that needs immediate attention relates to new export controls, sanctions regimes, and a broader instinct to “guard” technology ecosystems that are fast emerging. - Global Data Governance
o The third domain is cross-border data flows and related rules and regulations. Once subject only to domestic regulation, the subject of data flows is fast becoming a contested issue of global governance. - Coordinated drive
o Government technology policy, whether it be externally or internally oriented, is often reactive rather than proactive. The Government of India was, for instance, a straggler on outlining a strategy for artificial intelligence. Moreover, while there is a coordinated push on capturing the data of Indian users of international platforms, there has been relatively little thought on how this data can be leveraged and on creating a policy ecosystem conducive to innovation.
THE WAY FORWARD
- NEST enters a milieu of entrenched processes within the MEA itself and, as a new division, must both define itself vis-à-vis these practices while not diluting its mandate as a nodal agency.
o About NEST and it’s functions:
o The division will act as the nodal point in India’s foreign ministry for all matters connected to new and emerging technologies, including exchange of views with foreign governments and coordination with domestic ministries and departments.
o It will also help assess foreign policy and international legal implications of emerging technology and technology-based resources.
o The desk will also be involved in negotiations to safeguard Indian interests at multilateral fora like the United Nations or the G20 where rules governing the use and access to such technologies could be decided. - Fostering Multilateralism: In the technology sphere, diplomacy is not about seeking entry into an exclusive alliance or club but about maximising a state’s integration with the existing global value chains.
o Promoting the growth of open source technologies (and built on open standards) which have very few entry barriers in the form of licences, can be a priority on the multilateral front. In this way, technology related diplomatic engagements will increase as well as improve India’s accessibility to key technologies. - Science Tourism: India can conceptualise science tourism promoting scientific locations around the nation like National Science Centre, Delhi and Birla Science Museum, Hyderabad that the people across the globe can visit to quench their thirst for knowledge in the various fields of science and technology.
THE CONCLUSION: Internationally, the trade and data flows that have helped India prosper are now in the midst of sovereign tussles, necessitating strong regulation at home backed by a consistent and assertive position at international rulemaking bodies. India must back its claim as a technology power with a strong and clear message, which in turn can become a clarion call for other nations navigating similar waters.
Questions
1. Identify the various sectors where technology can be leveraged as a tool of foreign policy.
2. Analyse India’s foreign policy in the context of changing technology.
