‘Many commentators have interpreted developments such as restrictions on the export of rare metals and cutting-edge technologies, and reciprocal accusations of cyber-attacks, as a return to Cold War-era geopolitics,’ says Carraro. ‘But this narrative oversimplifies today’s messy international politics. It suggests a return to realist geopolitics, where struggles between unitary, self-contained great powers drive international developments. It also reifies problematic binaries such as us-versus-them and East–West, and is easily used to justify aggressive policy agendas.’

Focus on Latin America and the cloud

In her project ‘DIGIFRONTIERS: Platform Geopolitics Beyond the New Cold War’, Carraro will focus on Latin America – an emerging frontier of platformisation – to advance our understanding of how platforms are transforming geopolitical relations and imaginaries. ‘The region has long been seen as the United States’ backyard and, more recently, as a natural extension of China’s Maritime Silk Road; it is attracting growing investment from both Chinese and US tech firms.’

Given its centrality to platform profits and its material role in supporting national commercial, governance and military objectives, the project will focus on the development of cloud infrastructure.

Chile and Mexico: an unfolding geopolitical story

Most notably, DIGIFRONTIERS will examine Chile’s efforts to establish itself as a regional data hub through partnerships with US firms, and Alibaba’s entry into the Latin American market via Mexico. ‘In both Chile and Mexico, platformisation is contributing to the weakening of legal regulation and political authority,’ explains Carraro. ‘While Washington, Beijing and “their” platform companies are obvious players in these transformations, other often-overlooked actors – including smaller states, local entrepreneurs and social movements – are also part of the unfolding geopolitical story.’

Objectives

DIGIFRONTIES will open a new line of inquiry into platform geopolitics from below. It will challenge narratives that present platforms as borderless technologies or as straightforward manifestations of US or Chinese imperialism. By doing so, it will bring much-needed nuance to debates about a ‘new Cold War’ and problematise the role of digital platforms and platform companies in reshaping contemporary geopolitics.

About the ERC Starting Grant

The Starting Grant awarded by the European Research Council. It is a personal grant of approximately €1.5 million. It provides talented researchers with five years of support for their research.