Tech Middle Power Cooperation as an Avenue for Indo-Pacific Non-Alignment?

The increasing great power rivalry between the US and China has evoked memories of the Cold War, especially in the so-called “Indo-Pacific” area. However, despite the increasing use of a Cold War lens to examine the situation, there has been a lack of focus on whether non-alignment will return as a viable strategic pathway for middle and small powers. This chapter argues that the increased criticality of modern technologies to the survival of states—especially those linked to cyberspace—places significant hurdles that did not exist when non-alignment became a vibrant and attractive third way in the early Cold War. Using the case of the Indo-Pacific, it is argued that tech middle power cooperation, via workarounds, potentially offers a foundation for like-minded non-aligners to pursue a path free from having to choose to technologically side with either the US or China.