Revolutionary technologies-from nuclear weapons to biotechnology and artificial intelligence-have transformed not only economies but also the foundations of global politics. This book offers the first systematic and comparative study of how such disruptive innovations generate international conflict and cooperation. Drawing on over two decades of research and teaching in political economy and international security, Michael E. Smith develops a new analytical framework for understanding the global governance of technological change. Through detailed case studies and interviews with US and EU policymakers, he examines how major technologies provoke disputes over power, security, ethics, and regulation-from transatlantic tensions to the rise of China as a technological rival. Bridging the divide between security studies and international political economy, this book reveals how technology reshapes world order and the possibilities for collective action in an increasingly interconnected age.

Michael E. Smith is emeritus professor of international relations and former head of the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.