The Cambridge Forum on Technology and Global Affairs focuses on the dynamic relationship between technological change and the evolving geopolitical landscape.
Description
The rapid convergence of technological innovation and geopolitical realignments, including intensifying US-China competition, is reshaping global power dynamics. Both states and traditional international institutions, such as the United Nations and other longstanding multilateral forums, are straining to keep pace with these shifts. They are increasingly outpaced by more agile, often less inclusive forms of technology-driven cooperation spearheaded by new or newly powerful actors, including influential individuals, technological “swing” states, minilateral coalitions, and even agent-based systems deployed in defence settings.
Against this backdrop, the founding issue of the Cambridge Forum on Technology and Global Affairs invites multi-disciplinary research and policy and technology insights on new and emerging power brokers in global affairs. This unwieldy constellation of new and increasingly powerful technology actors is increasingly redefining influence, sovereignty, and competition in the global arena—and could further shape them in the near future. The Chip 4 Alliance, for instance, has coordinated policies to secure and dominate the semiconductor supply chain. In 2024, 27 technology companies signed a pledge at the Munich Security Conference to combat the deceptive use of AI in elections. The tech billionaire Elon Musk has both provided Starlink satellite connectivity to Ukraine, since February 2022, yet also refused requests for the extension of its coverage, thwarting military operations.
Recognising these developments, scholars have identified the growing heterogeneity of the international system. Yet, despite recognition of the growing impact of new power brokers – who exert influence and sway outcomes - research gaps persist regarding their impact and effectiveness; and how they are shifting not only the hierarchy between states, but also between “states and other actors” (Kello; 2023). The issue aims to open up new research avenues and international debate, and support evidence-informed governance relating to their evolving role in global affairs. As the first issue of the Cambridge Forum on Technology and Global Affairs, the issue will lay the foundation for the pipeline of critical issues that the Forum aims to discuss, from US-China AI competition to defence, dual-use, and open technologies.
Key Themes
We welcome contributions on topics relating to the emerging influence of “power brokers” including but not limited to:
1. Technological Swing States
- Defining technological swing states, using criteria such as technological capabilities and infrastructure (e.g. data centres), critical resources and supply chain components, and strategic geographic positioning.
- The role of technological swing states" such as India in U.S.-EU-China competition and global digital politics and governance models, as seen, for example, in World Conference on International Communications (WCIT) voting patterns
- Participation of technological swing states in geopolitical blocs and minilaterals, such as I2U2, focused on critical technologies, defence, and other key policy areas
- Case studies and policy perspectives that examine how technological swing states engage their expertise or resources to exert influence in global affairs
- New methodologies for charting how technological swing states operate and exert influence in the global political economy
2. Technology Firms
- Cooperation and tensions between tech "giants" and governments, including over data localisation, encryption, and cross-border data flows
- Hyperscalers like AWS and Google as critical infrastructure providers and sources of expertise, including during regional and global conflicts.
- Role of technology firms in building "minilateral" and other technology-based alliances alongside or absent government actors, sometimes bypassing traditional statecraft to advance technological cooperation.
3. Individual Actors
- Tech CEO diplomacy as embodied by Elon Musk’s reported engagement with Iran regarding Starlink and Tesla’s investments in China.
- Vulnerabilities, and ethical and accountability implications of the concentration of power in individuals and its implications for democratic governance.
- Case studies of entrepreneurial innovation that blurs the lines between corporate strategy and geopolitical influence.
4. AI Agents as (Semi-)Autonomous Power Players
- Agentic AI systems as (semi-)autonomous actors in global politics, in contexts including economic levelling (due to reduced labour cost disparities); defence, hybrid warfare, and related disinformation campaigns; and financial market manipulation.
5. Minilaterals and Alliances
- Original research, case studies and policy insights that critically evaluate individual minilaterals that are wholly or partly focused on technology cooperation, such as the Chip 4 Alliance, I2U2, or the Three Seas Initiative (3SI).
Papers are also welcome that explore and evaluate innovations designed to equip global institutions to better exert influence through current global shifts, as well as the evolving role of global “campaigns”, such as Global Zero, that involve non-state actors.
Submission Guidelines
The deadline for journal submissions is 22nd September 2025 at 23:59 BST. Submissions received before the deadline will be processed for peer review upon receipt. All contributions will be evaluated for originality, clarity, and thematic relevance.
Submissions should be written in accessible English for a global audience of policymakers, practitioners, professionals, and academics. All submissions will undergo double-blind peer review and, if accepted, will be published open access.
Submit through the journal’s online peer review system. Please consult the Author Instructions before submitting.
All authors must declare any funding and/or competing interests. For details, see the journal’s Publishing Ethics guidelines.
Contacts
Questions regarding this issue can be sent to the journal inbox at cfa@cambridge-org.demo.remotlog.com.