Geopolitics, Digital Industry, and National Sovereignty

Brazilian information technology as a strategic axis in economic relations between Brazil and the United States (1960-1990)

Abstract

The United States (USA) played a central role in the conception of the digital economy, through public investment in technology, structural power in defining informational standards and sanctions against emerging competitors. An emblematic case was the IT industry dispute between Brazil and the USA during the Reagan era. Although widely examined in Foreign Policy Analysis, few studies address the conflict from a geopolitical perspective. This work seeks to fill this gap and aims to analyze the American sanctions applied to the Brazilian IT industry, highlighting their geopolitical nature. A qualitative-analytical methodology is used based on bibliographic sources, as well as the application of geoeconomics fundamentals. It is concluded that the litigation transcended mere market competition and was part of American geopolitical objectives. Retaliations under section 301 of the Trade Act aimed to project US interests, infiltrate American multinationals and undermine a competing industry in their zone of influence. Unilateral sanctions are considered “economic weapons” of trade war and their use harms Brazilian technological autonomy and sovereignty. Brazil faces difficulties in breaking technological dependence, while the US capitalizes on its long-term geostrategic vision, gaining advantages in the digital era. Every national project must be linked to geoeconomics to guarantee its sovereignty.