How to Get Rid of "Technological Enslavement"

The world technology market is currently controlled by the United States, which is able to create global products for all countries.

Investments into the development of technologies is a direct path to national sovereignty, said Andrey Ionin, member of the Tsiolkovsky Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, senior expert of NP "GLONASS", during the presentation of the Valdai Discussion Club's annual report "War and Peace in the 21st century. International Stability and Balance of the New Type".

According to Ionin, the world technology market is currently controlled by the United States, which is able to create global products for all countries. "It is a fact. With the help of these technologies the United States monitors and enslaves us, and, if necessary, shows claws "- the expert said.

It is possible to get rid of this enslavement by developing own technologies. "And we need brains and gateway to the world market" – Ionin said.

To speed up this process of independence, it is necessary to enter into a coalition with other states, or, speaking the language of business, to find partners who understand that they are also in the "technological enslavement." In the choice of partners their sovereignty is an important factor, or at least their desire for sovereignty. "There are not so many such countries in the world. Besides the United States, I know only five, and all of them are members of the BRICS "- the expert said.

According to Ionin, the cooperation between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in the field of high technologies, unification of intellectual capital and markets can change the existing balance of power.

Presently the citizens of BRICS countries, which are planning to deal with new technologies, have a limited choice: either to go to the United States to get venture capital and access to global markets, or to stay at home in the narrow national borders, where it is impossible to implement a great idea. "If you plan to establish a common market of the BRICS countries, people will have an alternative: to work, for example, at Apple, or to create your own, let's say, a Russian-Chinese-Indian company", - the expert believes.

Of course, a great job should be done: establishment of common standards, tools for start-ups support, joint venture capital, unified system of certification, system of intellectual property protection, and implementation of huge public projects in the framework of BRICS.

"If you're technologically enslaved, you're not independent. This is our common problem, around which we must unite ", - said Andrey Ionin.
Views expressed are of individual Members and Contributors, rather than the Club's, unless explicitly stated otherwise.