To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy.
In July 2009, Seacom, a Mauritius-based firm, launched its $700 million undersea fiber optic cable connecting eastern Africa to the rest of the world with high-speed, low-cost Internet. Based off field observations, this talk explores the economic and policy implications of what is probably the most important infrastructure investment in eastern Africa since the construction of colonial railways.
Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.