SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

APLN member Elina Noor writes for South China Morning Post and argues that Southeast Asian states must recognise that it is not only countries but also large companies that shift the power balance on the global stage.

The world’s major powers often see Southeast Asian states as objects to be won over and swayed into their camp. But as tech giants extend their reach into the national security and military domains across the world and as geopolitical tensions intensify and spill over to non-aligned countries, the region can expect to face more difficult choices.

As Southeast Asia prepares for a leadership change in the US, the Silicon Valley heavyweights backing the Republican and Democratic nominees might provide some insight into the direction of any strategic shifts. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has fully endorsed former US president Donald Trump, as have influential venture capitalists such as Joe Lonsdale. Meanwhile, Vice-President Kamala Harris has pulled in the support of big-ticket tech personalities such as former Meta CEO Sheryl Sandberg, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Netflix executive chairman Reed Hastings.

To be sure, the battle for tech support in the upcoming US presidential election will largely be carried out through domestic issues or political ideology rather than grander strategic machinations. But as with political campaigns in any other country, big money has a tendency to move big policy.

These days, it is not only states but also large corporations – particularly in the tech industry – which shift the power calculus on the international stage. For Southeast Asia and Asean, recognising this fact should provide grounds to take a more comprehensive, cross-sectoral and long-term approach to engaging with their external partners. Otherwise, the region will be viewing the world as it wants to, not as it really is.