Tech-Gemony

Understanding the New National Security Economy

August 2026 9781805264309 352pp
Forthcoming Pre-order
Available as an eBook
EU Customers

Description

The world is at an inflection point. In an era marked by intense geopolitical competition and rapid technological advancements, understanding and navigating the complex interplay of business, politics, security and technology has never been more essential.

Global in scope and evidence-based, Tech-Gemony illuminates how national security has been redefined in the digital age. Unique in approach, the authors combine deep policy expertise with extensive business experience to introduce a transformative concept: the ‘new national security economy’. Within this framework, the economic battlefield is the central arena of competition, in which mastery of emerging technologies will shape the future of world diplomacy and power dynamics—and, ultimately, our collective future. 

Companies are unprepared for this new world, despite being increasingly vital participants in geopolitics. There is a need to recognise and adapt to new risks; to develop expertise, and rethink traditional approaches to risk management. This book provides practical, actionable strategies for leaders and organisations struggling with this emerging reality.

The new national security economy is a defining feature of our evolving world. Tech-Gemony provides essential guidance for individuals, businesses and governments to help them navigate this perilous moment.

Table of contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

PART 1
FRAMING THE NEW NATIONAL SECURITY ECONOMY
Chapter 1: Rethinking National Security in a New Type of Competition
Chapter 2: A World of Insecurity

PART II
GOVERNMENT IN THE NEW NATIONAL SECURITY ECONOMY
Chapter 3: China Reimagines Capitalism
Chapter 4: Governments Respond: Playing Defense
Chapter 5: Governments Respond: Playing Offense

PART III
BUSINESS IN THE NEW NATIONAL SECURITY ECONOMY

Chapter 6: The New Normal for Business
Chapter 7: Framing the Business Response
Chapter 8: Business Purpose in the New National Security Economy

PART IV
A PERILOUS MOMENT
Chapter 9: A Perilous Moment

Notes 
Index

Reviews

‘Explains how the private sector is the primary battlespace for geopolitical competition. Pragmatic, direct and offering immediate advice, this is an indispensable book for those business leaders and policymakers who must navigate twenty-first century geoeconomics.’ — Matthew Ford, Swedish Defence University, author of War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity and the Crisis at Our Fingertips

‘Drawing on vivid case studies, Tech-Gemony shows how states are securitising trade, technology and investment. More than a bird’s eye-view of geoeconomics, this book solidly maps the turbulent terrain on which global business must now operate.’ — Dr. Vasilis Trigkas, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University

‘An extremely ambitious analysis of technology transformation, amid geopolitical shift, and how states struggle to manage their economic security.’ — Garren Mulloy, Professor of International Relations, Daito Bunka University, author of Defenders of Japan: The Post-Imperial Armed Forces 1946-2016, A History

‘Analysts have spent years reaching for muddled terms like geoeconomics to describe a world they couldn’t quite name. Glosserman and Lee fix that. The “new national security economy” is a genuine conceptual breakthrough — once you see the world through their lens, you can’t unsee it. I spent over a decade assessing technology competition inside the intelligence community. This is the vocabulary we were missing.’ — Martijn Rasser, former CIA analyst and author of Reboot: Framework for a New American Industrial Policy

Author(s)

Brad Glosserman is Director of Research and Senior Advisor at Pacific Forum. A member of the Japan Times editorial board, he writes a weekly column on geopolitics and technology. He is the co-editor of Peak Japan: The End of Grand Ambitions and Japan’s Rise as a Regional and Global Power: 2013–2023, and co-author of The Japan–South Korea Identity Clash.

David S. Lee is an award-winning professor at HKU Business School, University of Hong Kong, focusing on corporate governance, ethics, fintech, and leadership. His writing and commentary have been featured in the Harvard Business ReviewNikkei Asia, and other mainstream and academic publications. Before entering academia, he worked in law and finance, beginning his career at Goldman Sachs.

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