Where do we go from here? Is the world's next Berlin Wall destined to be digital?
Consider the following excerpts from a Nov. 2019 speech given by Ian Bremmer [5]:
"[The global market for data and information] is breaking in two. It is no longer global. In the beginning, the internet—the Worldwide Web—was driven by a single set of standards and rules. With very few exceptions, one consumer had virtually the same access as another. No longer."
"Today, China and the United States are building two distinct online ecosystems. That's true for the transformation of today's internet, but also for the construction of the new internet of things. The American tech ecosystem, with all its strengths and shortcomings, is built by the private sector and (loosely) regulated by the government. The Chinese system is dominated by the state. That's also true for big data collection, for development of artificial intelligence, for the rollout of 5G cellular network technology, and for defense and retaliation against cyberattacks."
"This leaves us with a big question: Where exactly will the new Berlin Wall stand? Where will we find the boundary between one technological system and the other? Will Europe align with the United States? Or will the EU fragment into individual decisions within individual European countries? How will India position itself? And South Korea? And Brazil? What pressures will even Japan face?"
[1] https://www.cnet.com/news/chinas-national-intranet/
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/02/12/russia_disconnect_internet_intranet/
[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50902496
[4] https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/26/russia-starts-testing-its-own-internal-internet/
[5] https://www.eurasiagroup.net/live-post/end-of-american-order-ian-bremmer-2019-gzero-summit-speech