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.
Biography
The Right Honourable Douglas Alexander is a Senior Fellow at the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School, a Visiting Professor at Kings College, London, Trustee of the Royal United Services Institute, and a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations. He currently serves as Chair of Unicef UK and as Senior Advisor to the Rise Fund; a new $2bn global impact fund aligned with delivering the Sustainable Development Goals, and to U2 Frontman Bono; advising on investment and development in Africa. Mr. Alexander previously served in the U.K. Government for nine years, and as a Member of the UK Parliament for eighteen years. As the UK's Governor to the World Bank, and the UK’s International Development Secretary, Alexander was tasked with developing innovative approaches to resolve and preempt some of the most complex challenges to the wellbeing of the global economy. Alexander also served as Minister of State for E-Commerce & Competitiveness, Minister of State for Cabinet Office, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, attending the Cabinet of Tony Blair as Minister for Europe, before becoming Secretary of State for Scotland and Secretary of State for Transport. As Secretary of State for Transport, jointly with the Home Secretary, Mr Alexander led the UK’s response to the 2006 Transatlantic Aircraft Terror Plot, working with Police, Intelligence Agencies, the Airlines and the US Department of Homeland Security.
Last Updated: Apr 13, 2020, 1:12pm