Diplomacy in a Techno-Multipolar World

In a technology-driven world, economic, diplomatic, and security strategies are undergoing significant recalibration. Exploring these phenomena, this chapter delves into ‘reglobalization’—how the world is becoming ‘flatter’ amid increasing techno-multipolarity and US-China superpower rivalry; and how middle powers, especially those in Asia (including some Gulf countries), are adopting innovative plans between and among themselves, either bilaterally or minilaterally, to fulfill their common objectives. Building on the main theme of the book—‘workarounding’—the analyses present several examples of changing supply-chain mechanisms. It demonstrates how technology transfer and increased industrial production capacity in the Global South have changed the status of some importers to exporters, thus enhancing their strategic autonomy. Finally, the chapter promotes the rationale for intensifying low- and mid-tech collaboration in this age of high-tech and artificial intelligence focus to ensure that the next phase of global development is more inclusive.