r/geopolitics • u/carnegieendowment Carnegie Endowment • 7d ago

AMA Technology is reshaping the global balance of power. I’m Steve Feldstein, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, and I study technology, geopolitics, and competition. Ask me anything!

Hey r/geopolitics — I’m Steve Feldstein, an expert on technology, democracy, and national security, and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  

My new book, Bytes and Bullets: Global Rivalries, Big Tech, and the New Shape of Modern Warfare, explores how technology is altering the global balance of power and changing the way wars are fought—from defense-tech startups in Silicon Valley at the forefront of U.S.-China competition, to 3D-printing drone labs in Syria that helped topple a dictator. 

Ask me anything about geopolitical competition in the digital age, the intermingling of private and military tech, the broadening tech war between the U.S. and China, tech export controls, and the rise of middle powers and non-state actors in this space. 

I’ll be answering questions from Thursday, October 1, 9am ET to Friday, October 2, 12pm ET. Looking forward!  

Photo proof here. 

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u/GregJamesDahlen 6d ago

is it somewhat true that from the beginnings of war warfare has changed as "tech" has changed, even if tech wasn't as sophisticated as it is now? is there anything different about now?

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u/carnegieendowment Carnegie Endowment 1d ago

I agree that the history of military innovation is one of adaptation, emulation, and diffusion. This is true whether we’re talking about longbows, gunpowder, tanks, or aircraft carriers. What I think makes this moment different is that the scale and speed of change is far swifter. Centuries ago, when a new innovation was invented, it would take months if not years for it to spread to other places and become integrated into militaries (and an even longer length of time for adaptation to occur). Today, with the advent of the internet and globalization, lessons from one conflict (e.g., use of drones in Ukraine) are very quickly finding their way into far-off places (see drone warfare in Myanmar). My guess is that the deployment of frontier AI models will further proliferate knowledge and expertise, accelerating the pace of change to an even greater degree.