Ep. 5 From America to Meta: The Geopolitics of Empires, Old and New, feat. Daniel Immerwahr

In this episode of #TheGreatTechGame podcast, host Anirudh Suri is joined by Prof. Daniel Immerwahr to discuss the geopolitics of empires. From America to Meta, empires, old and new, have often learnt from previous empires, yet incorporated new characteristics and narratives to justify their existence with the times.What did the US learn from the empires that came before it? Are tech firms also empires in hiding? Is data grab the new land grab? Who will win the tug of war between states and tech firms? How is technology shaping geopolitics today? And are we still really prisoners of geography?Chapters:01:06 - welcome, and intro abt geopolitics and empires02:47 - the US Empire: what did it learn from its predecessor empires, esp the British?05:47 - How did the US justify its imperialist or expansionist tendencies? Civilizing mission.08:22 - Alfred McCoy, and the Post WWII Empire of the US11:07 - The US as an Indirect, Informal Empire?15:37 - Is the US imperial?17:17 - How will an emerging power like China envision its version of Empire? What lessons will it draw from the US Empire?19:17- what are the contours of power post 1945? The virtuous cycle of US economic, military and cultural power22:10 - The Case of the Telegraph Cables and the British All Red Network23:53 - The De-territorialization of Empire, and the US Pointillist Empire25:07 - The New Empires: The Tech Empires and parallels with East India Company27:02 - Data grab is the new land grab28:15 - Are tech Empires also empires in hiding?31:17 The History of Corporations vs States (The Ebb and Flow)33:07 - Who Will Win the Tug of war between State and Corporations? will the States Bat Last?34:52 - The hollowing out of the State (eg Nasa and space exploration)37:17 - The Private Armies of Big Tech Firms38:00 - An Unholy Nexus between Tech Firms and States?41:05 - Geopolitics : Are We Really Prisoners of Geography?44:50 - How is technology shaping geopolitics? 47:50 - The Two Wars that Changed Our View of Technology vs Geography in Geopolitics51:35 - The Element of Surprise in Military Strategy52:20 - The Re-Territorialization of Geopolitics, Despite The Impact of Technology 56:36 - Is Economics Driving Geopolitics or is Geopolitics Trumping Economics today?Are we Heading towards another Cold War?1:01:00 - Daniels book and podcast recommendations 1:02:15 - Closing Thoughts: Was the US playing the Great Tech Game well pre-WW2? How did it get its R&D strategy right?Book Links:Anirudh Suri:The Great Tech Game by Anirudh Suri : https://amzn.eu/d/1Su38MyDaniel Immerwahr:How to Hide an Empire: https://amzn.eu/d/hssq9QFFollow Anirudh here: X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/anirudhsuriLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anirudhsuri/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anirudh_suriFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnirudhSuri.in Website: www.anirudhsuri.comBook and Podcast: www.greattechgame.com As always, please do watch, subscribe and share!#TheGreatTechGamePodcast