Cybersecurity Leadership Transition: U.S. Urged to Stay Proactive in Global Tech
The outgoing cyber ambassador of the United States has issued a strong caution to the forthcoming Trump administration, emphasizing the crucial need to maintain active involvement in global technology and digital security discussions. According to Nathaniel Fick, failure to do so risks allowing nations such as Russia and China to dominate these arenas.
"An increasingly isolationist United States creates or amplifies a lot of problems that we're not going to be able to turn our backs on," stated Fick, who has spent nearly two and a half years as the U.S.'s first ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy. "We may not be interested in the world, but the world is interested in us."
This warning arrives as foreign diplomats and cybersecurity professionals anticipate how Donald Trump's upcoming term, characterized by "America First" ideology, will address issues like foreign aid and digital security norms amidst fierce competition with authoritarian regimes.
Staying in the Game
The Biden administration has invested years in persuading countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to adopt a Western stance on technology and cybersecurity, countering the authoritarian approaches proposed by China and Russia. However, it remains uncertain if Trump will continue this strategy of diplomacy.
Fick insists that this tactic is vital, particularly as it stands on the brink of significant success. More nations, he believes, will opt for Western technological solutions over Chinese alternatives due to concerns over privacy, security, and the promise of foreign direct investment from Western sources keen on building reliable supply chains devoid of questionable technology.
"Every country in the world is competing for this FDI by big global technology businesses, or tech-enabled businesses, and countries are going to be able to carve out an advantaged position for themselves if they're using trusted technology," Fick says. "I think that's an argument that this next team is going to be all over."
Under Fick’s leadership, efforts have been made to align U.S. campaigns promoting Western 5G infrastructure and the development of new undersea internet cables. "We need to think about the full tech ecosystem," he asserts.
Recent developments in Costa Rica and Tuvalu highlight the potential opportunities in this realm. In Costa Rica, U.S. support following devastating Russian cyberattacks led to San José emerging as a regional advocate for Western 5G technology, consequently attracting foreign supply-chain investment. Meanwhile, Tuvalu has begun work on its first undersea cable, financed by the U.S. and its allies, effectively bypassing a planned Chinese technological expansion.