Aegis: Security Policy in Depth

Announcing the latest edition of the Aegis Paper Series from the Hoover Institution.

Major technology and social-media companies— think Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Google— wield tremendous power. Given their reach, their financial heft, their importance to vast swaths of customers dependent on their goods, services, and platforms, and their ability to influence (if not altogether dictate) transnational public policy, these firms often look and act the part of proprietors, stewards, and even governors of digital public squares.

Geopolitical tensions are on the rise worldwide, including between China and the United States. This will make multilateral cooperation and engagement generally, and diplomatic efforts focusing on more comprehensive frameworks specifically, more challenging. At the same time, the technological change will persist, transforming societies that become increasingly digitally connected in terms of both humans and machines. Governments can either manage emerging risks associated with this transformation proactively or respond reactively to them after major incidents.