By
Carolina Barrios Martínez
Africa-Press – Kenya. In the 21st century, new forms of waging war have emerged. The arms race is no longer fought with missiles or tanks, but with algorithms, microchips, fiber optics, and data. This is the era of non-kinetic warfare — a more subtle, yet deeply consequential form of conflict that quietly reshapes geopolitical tensions.
As artificial intelligence (AI) innovation accelerates, semiconductor supply chains become strategic pressure points, 5G networks turn into battlegrounds, and data sovereignty transforms into a political weapon. Across these new digital frontiers, the rivalry between East and West is being redrawn.
Yet, a critical question remains largely overlooked: How can humanitarian principles guide the disarmament of these emerging forms of conflict before they inflict irreversible harm?
This article explores the profound shifts underway in global power dynamics — and argues that humanitarian disarmament must urgently adapt to meet the challenges of this new era.
From Arms to Algorithms
Throughout the Cold War, power was measured by nuclear arsenals and ideological influence. Today, supremacy is built upon technological mastery. Nations invest billions not only in cyber-defense but in the development of the “invisible weapons” of the digital age: AI systems, semiconductor manufacturing, telecommunications infrastructure, and data governance.
However, unlike traditional weapons, these technologies permeate every aspect of civilian life. Left unchecked, they risk becoming instruments of mass surveillance, coercive control, and algorithmic oppression. From a humanitarian standpoint, the need to prevent technological escalation echoes the urgency that once fueled disarmament treaties against chemical and nuclear weapons.
Artificial intelligence stands at a crossroads between opportunity and peril. While offering breakthroughs in healthcare, energy, and education, AI is simultaneously being weaponized — deployed for predictive surveillance, autonomous military systems (AWS), and psychological operations.
The arms race for AI supremacy between China, the United States, and their allies is intensifying. National strategies such as China’s New Generation AI Development Plan and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) focus on autonomous systems reveal how deeply AI has become intertwined with security agendas.
From a humanitarian disarmament perspective, the militarization of AI carries grave risks:
Loss of human control over critical decisions in warfare.
Algorithmic biases that reinforce systemic discrimination.
Psychological destabilization through deepfakes and information warfare.
International initiatives like the Stop Killer Robots campaign advocate for legally binding measures to prohibit lethal autonomous weapon systems — reminding us that ethical frameworks must evolve alongside technological advances to protect our shared humanity.
The New Points of Power
Semiconductors — the tiny engines powering our digital world — are now the backbone of AI, telecommunications, and advanced manufacturing. Control over their design and production has become a critical source of geopolitical escalation. Taiwan’s TSMC, South Korea’s Samsung, and the Netherlands’ ASML — which produces essential lithography machines — are pivotal actors in these tensions. Meanwhile, U.S. export restrictions on advanced chips to China, and China’s accelerated efforts toward semiconductor self-sufficiency, reflect a fractured and increasingly tense global supply chain.
The fragility of these supply chains has alarming humanitarian consequences:
Economic destabilization in vulnerable economies reliant on global technology access.
Restricted access to vital technologies, such as medical equipment, in crisis or conflict zones.
An increased risk of military confrontation over industrial hubs
Thus, semiconductors are not merely commercial products; they have become strategic assets — and potential flashpoints — requiring international cooperation and preventive diplomacy to preserve global stability.
5G Networks and the Battle for Digital Dominance
The deployment of 5G networks, promising ultra-fast connectivity and smart infrastructure, has inaugurated a new era of strategic competition. The debates surrounding Huawei’s involvement in global 5G infrastructures illustrate how telecommunications technologies have shifted from economic considerations to matters of national security. Countries aligning with Western protocols — such as the U.S.’s Clean Network Initiative — stand in contrast to those integrating Chinese 5G systems. This divergence is fragmenting global communication standards, creating technological spheres of influence.
From a humanitarian viewpoint, the militarization of 5G infrastructure poses serious risks:
Expanded surveillance capabilities without meaningful oversight.
Enhanced military communications that could exacerbate arms races.
Civil vulnerabilities: critical infrastructures like hospitals and transportation networks become susceptible to cyberattacks.
Addressing these challenges demands more than technical safeguards. It calls for global governance frameworks rooted in the protection of human dignity and civilian rights over strategic or commercial advantage.
Data Sovereignty: New Borders in a Digital World
If data is the “new oil,” then sovereignty over its flows is the new resource nationalism. From the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to China’s Cybersecurity Law, states are building digital walls to assert control over the information that shapes economies, societies, and identities.
While national sovereignty over data is a legitimate pursuit, humanitarian risks are many:
Data militarization: turning personal information into an instrument of repression.
Algorithmic oppression: entrenching surveillance states and silencing dissent.
Inequitable access: deepening global technological divides between powerful and marginalized nations.
A fragmented internet — divided along political and ideological lines — threatens the universal digital rights envisioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Without careful stewardship, digital sovereignty may become a tool not for protection, but for exclusion and control.
East vs. West: Toward Fragmentation or Multipolarity?
The world seems to be drifting toward digital bifurcation: one sphere led by liberal democracies emphasizing transparency and human rights; another dominated by authoritarian models prioritizing surveillance and control.
Yet, a different future remains possible. A multipolar digital order, anchored in shared norms of responsible innovation and humanitarian oversight, could still emerge. Whether through multilateral institutions like the United Nations or through new alliances among civil society, academia, and the private sector, efforts must focus on forging common principles for ethical technology governance.
Failure to do so risk not only political instability, but the slow erosion of human dignity on a global scale. Humanitarian disarmament offers a powerful framework for navigating these new challenges. Just as past treaties banned chemical weapons and landmines to safeguard civilian lives, emerging technologies demand proactive, preventive governance.
Some actions, can include:
Supporting international law around the use and development of autonomous weapon systems.
Embedding humanitarian principles — transparency, accountability, human oversight — into AI research and deployment.
Protecting digital rights with enforceable standards.
Invisible battles over code, chips, and networks are already redefining global power. Without ethical guardrails and humanitarian vigilance, today’s innovations risk becoming tomorrow’s instruments of mass harm. As East and West navigate this new technological rivalry, the international community must ensure that human rights, dignity, and peace remain protected across both physical and digital realms.
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