Geopolitical Visions of Digital Future from the USA and the EU: Digital Solidarity, Digital Sovereignty, and the American Strategy for the Development of International Cyberspace

The world is undergoing active transformation and adaptation to new geopolitical realities, necessitating the search for innovative development doctrines. The Russian-Ukrainian war has been a significant catalyst for these changes, compelling major nations to reevaluate and reshape their security paradigms. However, this conflict is not the sole driver. The rapid advancement of digital technologies and the continued high dependence of modern economies on digital infrastructure and emerging technologies are also prompting countries to seek solutions, define long-term development strategies, and anticipate the policies of key global players in this domain.

In particular, the rivalry between the two doctrines and the political and legal approaches to managing global digitalization processes based on them is becoming increasingly acute. The United States advocates the doctrine of digital solidarity, the main idea of which is to create an “open, sustainable and secure” global digital ecosystem, formalized at the political and legal level as a broad coalition (system of coalitions) between the United States and its partners and allies. Digital solidarity implies the same rights and rules for all, common goals, close cooperation, mutual assistance, exchange of best practices, joint response to cyber threats, and more.

In contrast, the modern EU exhibits a clear commitment to the doctrine of digital sovereignty, which posits that, in the contemporary world, digital sovereignty should complement traditional state sovereignty. According to this approach, nation-states or their coalitions must control and protect their digital infrastructure and data flows through a variety of protectionist measures. These include implementing restrictive sectoral policies, localizing data and networks, limiting foreign access to domestic markets, and fostering the development of local technologies, industries, and companies to reduce reliance on foreign counterparts.

It is important to emphasize that the concept and approaches of digital sovereignty enjoy considerable support in the modern world, with many governments showing varying degrees of inclination toward this isolationist strategy. In some cases, autocratic regimes have adopted digital sovereignty as a cornerstone of their digital and information policies.

Against the backdrop of these realities, the United States has taken a step towards promoting and formalizing its doctrine by approving the International Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy.

 

Digital solidarity: how does the US see the future of global cyberspace?

The International Cyberspace and Digital Policy Strategy (hereinafter - the Strategy), developed by the US Department of State's Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, was presented on May 6, 2024. The document was prepared in cooperation with other federal agencies, so it is ideologically and conceptually consistent with the National Security Strategy (2022) and Cybersecurity Strategy (2023) of the United States, as well as with other policy documents of the Biden administration in the field of IT and cyberspace, in particular, his Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence.

The subtitle of the Strategy, “Towards an Innovative, Secure, and Rights-Respecting Digital Future” clearly reflects its core values and vision for the desired future. It emphasizes continued global digitalization driven by innovative technological advancements, safeguarded by robust cybersecurity mechanisms, and underpinned by uniform legal norms acknowledged and upheld by all stakeholders.

The international cyberspace development model proposed by the United States incorporates mechanisms of collective governance that consider the interests of individual stakeholders. However, it strongly criticizes the concept of digital sovereignty and the increasing popularity of this trend worldwide. The U.S. views digital sovereignty as a global strategic threat, as it may result in excessive fragmentation of international Internet governance, isolation of digital ecosystems, and additional barriers to international cooperation, research and development, innovation dissemination, and overall technological progress. 

In addition, according to the authors of the document, governments' focus on digital sovereignty significantly increases cybersecurity risks, as it can undermine the collective efforts needed to combat global cyber threats, such as the exchange of threat intelligence information, coordination of responses to cyber incidents, joint development of cyber protection tools, etc.

The alternative proposed in the Strategy includes four action areas:

  1. Building and maintaining an open, inclusive, secure and sustainable international digital ecosystem. This includes stimulating a competitive IT market and innovation, reducing dependence on autocratic regimes, publicly accessible, reliable and secure digital infrastructure, and adequate telecommunications protection.

  2. Harmonizing with international partners approaches, standards and policies of digital governance and data management based on respect for law, security and support for international trade.

  3. Promoting responsible behavior of states in cyberspace, countering cyber threats by building coalitions, promoting partnerships, information exchange and accountability between countries.

  4. Strengthening and building the digital and cyber capabilities of partner countries, including enhancing their technical and operational capabilities and jointly fighting cybercrime.

In implementing these tasks and goals, the U.S. Department of State, according to the Strategy, should adhere to three guiding principles:

  1. Clear and affirmative vision of a secure and inclusive cyberspace governed by international law.

  2. An approach based on a holistic vision of cybersecurity (including data security and cyber resilience), sustainable development and technological innovation, given the deep interconnectedness of these areas in the modern digital world.

  3. An integrated approach to political actions and decisions using the appropriate tools of diplomacy and international statecraft across the entire global digital ecosystem.

The Strategy outlines several key initiatives proposed by the U.S. Department of State for collective discussion and decision-making, which are deemed particularly relevant. The primary initiatives include:

  • Developing an AI governance frameworks - establishing international standards for the ethical use of artificial intelligence with the involvement of partners through the G7 and other forums to create guidelines for the development of AI technologies.

  • Enhancing supply chain security - working with partners to diversify and secure the supply chain for critical technologies; the United States is willing to invest in solutions that reduce dependence on authoritarian regimes.

  • Promoting cyber norms - jointly agreeing on and protecting global norms that define acceptable state behavior in cyberspace and hold violators accountable. A platform of the UN and other international organizations is proposed.

The U.S. International Digital Strategy will demand active efforts from the U.S. Department of State. Given the scale and ambitious goals of the Strategy, its success depends on a foundation of influential and reliable international partners prepared to support its implementation, ensuring a strong starting position. According to statements by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which highlight steps and initiatives supporting the Strategy, significant work in this area is already underway.

 

The European Union and digital sovereignty: why is Europe moving toward greater independence in digital affairs?

As for the European Union, it would seem that the extreme closeness of most value and ideological positions, as well as the commonality of many interests, create all the conditions for a close partnership with the United States within the framework of the American digital strategy. However, the EU, while remaining a powerful coalition of developed countries, has long and consistently built its own digital policy based on well-articulated European values and an independent vision of the Union's development. 

This policy demonstrates a similar, but in many ways different, view of data protection, cybersecurity, AI ethics, etc. It has a solid scientific and analytical support, is carefully conceptualized, supported by program and regulatory documents, a developed legal framework, and is backed by powerful institutions and potential. In view of this, the EU's integration into the future American global system of digital solidarity is unlikely, even if there is goodwill on both sides.

In addition, the idea of the EU's digital sovereignty (or rather self-sufficiency and leadership) has traditionally been quite influential in the analytical community and leadership circles of the EU. This is evidenced, for example, by the documents of the European Parliament, as well as materials from one of the leading European think tanks, the Robert Schuman Foundation.

The fundamental study by Mario Draghi's group, commissioned by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and published in the fall of 2024 with the  telling title “The Future of European Competitiveness” focuses mainly on two challenges: the reasons for the EU's lagging behind and dependence on the United States and, in some cases, China [1], as well as on ways to overcome this lag, restore the Union's sovereignty and leadership as a high-tech global player.

Adopted in the early 20s of the 21st century. The EU's basic laws on digital services, digital markets and data management, as well as the Digital Strategy, the Data Strategy and finally the Digital Decade 2030 Action Plan, are all aimed at achieving a similar goal of the alliance in the digital sphere - gaining leadership, deep transformation and a leap forward in digitalization and the development of digital technologies (such as AI, telecommunications, cybersecurity and digital human rights protection, quantum computing, etc.)

Given this, it will be difficult for the parties to find a compromise between their doctrinal approaches, at least on the platform of the new US International Digital Strategy. 

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[1] According to Draghi's report, the European Union imports more than 80% of digital technologies as of 2024.

 

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