The role of Silicon Valley in modern geopolitical processes. Challenges for post-Soviet States

Demetradze Marine Rezoevna ORCID: 0000-0002-7676-8054 Doctor of Politics leading scientific researcher, Institute for the Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture; Professor, the department of World Politics and International Relations, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration 117292, Russia, Moscow, Kosmonavtov str., 2 demetradze1959@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Shorokhova Svetlana Petrovna PhD in Philosophy Shorokhova Svetlana Petrovna, PhD, Associate Professor, Head of the Faculty of International Relations, Institute of World Civilizations 117292, Russia, Moscow, Nakhimovsky Prospekt str., 48, office 96 demetradze1959@mail.ru

The new socio-cultural architecture has fundamentally changed the centuries-old traditions of interstate relations, as well as the entire world space. It has become quite multidimensional, diverse and complex, as structural changes are introduced by factors such as modernization, globalization, etc. In this regard, its driving mechanisms, affecting almost all states and societies, require deep rethinking and careful analysis. The question arises: when and under what conditions – or at what stage of human history – did the paradigm shift take place, that is, the transition from the traditional form of geopolitics to the modern one, and what is its essence? And indeed, if earlier the establishment of control over natural resources, trade routes, strategically important objects (large rivers, exits to the seas, oceans, mountains, etc.) required the direct conquest of territories, then since the second half of the XX century, such an approach to geopolitics has radically changed: the old imperial policy has been replaced by a new one based on indirect forms of expansion (cultural, economic) [7. p.368]. In modern conditions, there is no longer a need to own land and resources in the old sense, since taking a leading position in the world market and controlling it allows for world domination, which only developed countries can afford. What allows them to reach such heights without a single shot and what is the secret of their development?

First of all, we are talking about substitutes and intellectual capital that surpass natural resources in value and allow countries to produce modern products. Of course, the authors do not intend to devalue natural resources in any way; the point is that participation in the modern globalization process is not possible without new technologies. In the post-industrial era, financial rivalry has replaced weapons, and its main product is not so much money as information technology. Consequently, new knowledge-intensive industries have emerged in developed countries, which will be discussed below [5. p.400].

Note that the world in its current state can be called transnational. In the modern multicultural environment, differentiation and integration paradoxically become mutually dependent factors, simultaneously preserving national identity and leading to the emergence of supranational structures. The cardinal change in the rhythms of globalization and the constant establishment of new rules of the geopolitical game is becoming obvious.

Specific features of the transnational world

Such categories as the information age, technocratic society, intellectual technologies, intellectual capital, market, competition and TNCs are becoming particularly relevant at the present time, the interconnectedness of which is beyond doubt. However, these positive processes are accompanied by negative phenomena that give rise to concerns among a number of societies: what rules does global transnational policy rely on; does the process of transnationalization of the economy imply the leveling of national sovereignty, does it lead to the dominance of strong states over weak ones, the power of money and the redistribution of the market in the interests of the former; what is the secret of modern economic policy and the "economic miracle" of the Southeast Asian states; how socially oriented, safe and acceptable these processes are for young states, especially post-Soviet ones, who do not know the rules of the market, do not have a culture of entrepreneurship and strong economic traditions; how open are the opportunities for them to participate in these processes on an equal partnership basis, can they achieve the indicators advanced countries of the world.

Of course, the answers to these questions remain open, and not only because states lagging behind modern standards cannot cope with the pressure of fierce economic competition and the laws of the world market [10.P. 600]. After all, it is no secret that in the entire post-Soviet space, despite the presence of multiple developments, there is still no full-fledged theory of the laws of economic development, overcoming the crisis, reducing the distance with developed countries, the natural consequence of which is the lack of sufficient understanding of market mechanisms, the laws of price formation, improving the competitiveness of the national product, etc. It requires the search for new theoretical and methodological approaches to identify the features of globalization, the driving forces of modernization, the specifics of the modern global economy; otherwise, an imbalance between developed and developing countries will persist, which makes it difficult for different societies to coexist peacefully. The new theory should make it possible to predict risks for post-Soviet societies, create a mechanism for their prevention and overcoming.

From this point of view, it is necessary to consider the problems of the modern world order in the context of the diversity of markets integrating such phenomena as information technology and "silicon valley". Special attention should be paid to such factors as the "economic miracles" of the countries of Southeast Asia, creating new economic centers, thereby opposing the building of a unipolar world system.

Socio-cultural basis of building an information society

The factors that led to the paradigm shift of modern globalization require special attention. They are directly connected with the scientific revolution, the increase in the practical significance of scientific discoveries and, paradoxically, not with economic, but sociological theories that led to the transformation of the economy itself, turning it into an area of satisfying the economic needs of the individual. The described processes have been taking place since the 1950s, but the prerequisites for them appeared a little earlier [13. p.347].

Before continuing the topic, we note that modern modernization processes originate during the industrial revolution in Great Britain from the end of the XVIII century. But it would be erroneous to believe that it arose spontaneously and without proper scientific background. It can be noted with full confidence that it was preceded by the first scientific revolution that began at the end of the XVI century in Western countries, the result of which was the emergence of new specialties, sciences, specialties and other innovations that led to the formation of the bourgeoisie (middle class). Since that period, political and economic processes have begun to depend on the results of the activities of this stratum of society. At the same time, for the first time in the history of mankind, intellectual capital became the driving force of society, turning Great Britain (as a pioneer) into a dominant state of a fundamentally new type. And since modernization achievements were spread throughout the West, by the 19th century colonialism as a new form of geopolitics had become a worldwide practice. Since that period, all major transformations of society have not occurred without the preliminary creation of a scientific base.

Without in any way detracting from the significance of the works of researchers of this period, we still have to note its poor study in the context of modernization processes, namely, as the primary source of the influence of intellectual capital on social progress, which laid the foundation for modern modernization. In our opinion, this topic deserves a separate broad study in the context of scientific revolutions.

Returning to the topic of modern globalization, we will highlight its prerequisites, stages and favorable factors. The scientific organization of the political space of modern states, as well as the impact of science on the transformation of the structure of society, were first put on the agenda by American politicians and statesmen.

A pioneer in this field can be considered the 28th President of the United States Thomas Woodrow Wilson, who even before his term developed a theory called "Pedleton's Law", which gives clear rules for holding public office and introduced the practice of passing state exams, which laid the foundation for the discipline of public administration. Since that period (1887), state institutions and the activities of politicians have become as transparent and constructive as possible. However, this practice is much older than it may seem: similar principles can be traced in the practices of the "School of Scribes" that existed in ancient China (pre-127 BC).

By the 1920s, the emerging trend towards the rationalization of the political sphere was the Chicago School of Life, which proclaimed the principle of the exit of social sciences from the walls of universities, their merger with society. Unlike European sociology, which for the first time attempted to study social processes by scientific methods (as opposed to speculative philosophical and historical approaches), American researchers have created conditions for the practical implementation of their developments. The merit of their endeavors can be considered the creation of the first "think tanks" that provide advice to politicians, theoretical development of the political course of the state, etc.

The advantage of the functioning of the "think tanks" is their versatility: they carried out expertise not only of political processes, but also of physics, engineering, biology, chemistry, economics, medicine, etc. At the same time, they had a fairly narrow specialization, focusing on specific problems. Another distinctive feature of such centers was that they functioned both independently and on the basis of large state educational institutions. As an example of the significance of their role in the history of the United States, we will cite the following fact: during the socio-economic crisis of the 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt turned to the experts of the Brookings Center to develop a state strategy to overcome the problem, calling his appeal the "Brookings Agenda"; the experts coped with their task by providing the presidential administration the corresponding program, but already under the name "The Agenda of the nation". This clearly demonstrates the crucial role of experts in assessing the situation and directly solving the problem.

The role of such centers in international relations deserves special attention. For example, plans for the reconstruction of Germany and Japan after World War II, developed by experts of the Marshall Center, led to an "economic miracle" in these states.

By the middle of the 20th century, this practice had become an integral part of American politics. The advantages of the scientific approach were confirmed in practice: the measures taken predicted socio-cultural processes, and the use of scientific methods (bifurcation, attractor, equifinality) minimized miscalculations and costs by preventing reckless risks and costs.

After the Second World War, the role of such centers increased due to the transformation of the United States into a world power. Rivalry with the USSR required strengthening not only military, but also economic power in order to show the whole world the advantages of the capitalist economic system over the socialist one. In this regard, all US allies had to follow the same economic rules and implement the achievements of scientific and technological progress, adopting, as a result, the practice of creating "think tanks". In the USA, they moved to a qualitatively new level, forming entire settlements, towns that connected science and the production of modern technical products. Such places with the spread of semiconductors were called "technoparks" or "silicon valleys"[8. p.272].

It is quite obvious that in the second half of the XX century the world entered a new era: the state became increasingly dependent on technocrats, designers and managers who laid the foundation for socio-engineering, i.e. meritocratic form of government [2.C 783]. This meant giving sociocultural processes a social character. First of all, the changes affected the economy: purely economic theories began to unite with sociological ones, the purpose of which was to subordinate the economy to the interests of the individual. Special merits in this case belong to Arrow (economic equilibrium), Frisch (econometrics), Myrdal (the problem of equality, its role in world development), Schultz (the economics of being in poverty). However, this was not an easy task, and therefore it requires special attention. Specially developed sociological and cultural-anthropological methods – first of all, diagnostics and forecasting – used in various socially significant processes, led to their merger in the field of law, politics, physics, chemistry and others, forming interdisciplinary approaches. An outstanding school of American sociologists played a decisive role in this, which set itself the task of institutionalizing all socially significant processes in American society. At the domestic level, the theory of stratification was developed, which created additional social elevators, and Moreno, combining biology with sociology, proposed an original theory of human relations; Sorokin and Parsons developed a theory of structural functionalism; theories of culture of everyday life, the city, youth, the elderly, and later – theories of the middle level.

At the international level, cultural anthropologists, sociologists and economists developed and implemented modernization theories for non-European states with the aim of attracting them to the American side. Oddly enough, the development and application of such theories led to the emergence of anti-American sentiments in the countries of Southeast Asia, which took a course for independent development. And as practice shows, they did not make a mistake in choosing their path, not allowing the existence of a unipolar world order in modern conditions. At the same time, it should be emphasized that rejecting American influence, they nevertheless borrowed the basic principles of modernization – scientific and technological progress, the primacy of intellectual capital in the country - embodied in a new national idea (modernization, but not Westernization).

 This brief review was undertaken in order to show the prerequisites and specifics of the origin and information era, as well as the primary role of science in this process. At the same time, we believe that the "silicon Valley" itself as the core of the modern economic system requires separate attention, and therefore we will describe it separately [9. p.495].

The specifics of the organization of "silicon valleys" in the countries of the world

Since the phenomenon of "Silicon valleys" was originally exclusively American, the consideration of their history should begin from there.

The father of the phenomenon is considered to be Professor Frederick Terman of Stanford University, who in the 1930s invited his students to create educational enterprises to put into practice the knowledge gained. It is also impossible not to mention the names of such scientists as William Hewlett and David Packard (1939) who created the first technical and implementation companies.  Creation by a small group of businessmen and mentioned scientists  The Stanford Research Center, and then the Industrial Park in 1946 became one of the key moments in the development of the valley (the world's first computer (ENIAC) was developed here https://vc.ru/marketing/167058-kremnievaya-dolina-kratkaya-istoriya //accessed 04.05.21

Here are other examples: physicist William Shockley discovered semiconductors in the mid-1950s, laying the foundations for a revolution in computing technology; in 1957, Fairchild Semiconductor appeared in Silicon Valley – the first company in the microprocessor industry. It is believed that it was the use of silicon as a semiconductor in the production of microprocessors that gave the valley its name. Thus, for the first time in the history of mankind, the practice of combining technology and entrepreneurship is being laid, which has contributed to changing the world economic system and globalization processes. https://indicator.ru/label/kremnievaya-dolina //accessed 04.05.21

In the post-war period, in order to give new strength to the economy, a serious impetus to the development of industry was needed. Centers that worked closely with each other emerged in different regions of the country: California, Massachusetts and New Carolina.  Also in the 60s, such centers were created in Japan, South Korea, Great Britain, Germany, France, etc., producing competitive high-tech products and providing their manufacturers with leadership in the world market.

A multilateral approach and objectivity requires noting that such towns were created in the USSR, when the Siberian Scientific Town was opened here. However, the issue of preserving the socialist bloc brought to the fore the arms race, the need to maintain ideological foundations, which negatively affected the civilian sphere: despite the presence of many scientific achievements in physics, chemistry, electronics, nuclear energy, etc., the socio-economic power of the country was not given due attention, which can be considered one of the reasons the rejection of the Union republics from the center. In addition, the capitalist countries competed with each other, increasing their economic potential, while the Soviet system turned out to be costly and not competitive. At the same time, it should be noted that many enterprises and industries – for example, in China and the DPRK, Vietnam, Cuba, Chile, etc. – were opened with direct financial and technical assistance from the USSR. For example, approximately 250 enterprises were opened in China, but as practice shows, they could not withstand competition, since overcoming their technological lag was beyond the power of the Soviet system. Regarding the resource and technical support of the countries of south-eastern Europe, as well as their defense complex, which required huge maintenance costs, there is no need to speak. And the fact of the low efficiency of the system should be singled out separately, since the consequences and causes of its collapse have not yet been fully realized and overcome.

A comparative analysis of the two systems suggests the need to identify specific features of modern globalization processes, in which scientific and technological progress plays a leading role, the basis for maintaining which is currently "silicon valley". The latter, in fact, are technical and implementation zones, which are a strategic instrument of the economic development policy of the leading countries of the world. Their goal is to create knowledge–intensive industries, promote economic reform, transform the economy from a planned to a market economy (where necessary), and integrate the national economy into the global one. This naturally generates new challenges: the training of highly qualified scientific personnel, the creation of new professions, the establishment of links between the technical and innovation zone with the internal and external economy, etc. https://utmagazine.ru/posts/12540-kremnievaya-dolina-mesto-istoriya-infrastruktura-i-samye-uspeshnye-lyudi-proekty-i-kompanii date of application 05.05.21

For the leading countries of Southeast Asia (Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea), such zones have become the basis for the transformation of the traditional model of the national economy to the creation and export of high technologies. In turn, the consequence of this transformation was the high competitiveness of the national product on the world market [4. p.180].

At the end of the XX century, even communist China, realizing the challenges of modern globalization processes, adopted a decision in 1980 called the "new technological revolution". One of the first results was the zone "One district – six parks" in Shanghai, which opened in 1992. Today, there are 57 parks and 10 types of modern production in China: microelectronics, electronic and information technologies, aviation and space technologies, photoelectronics, innovative energy, production of new materials, technologies in the field of ecology and environmental protection, energy saving technologies, pharmaceuticals and medicine, agriculture.

A brief analysis of various models allows us to create a general model of the structure of "silicon valleys". First of all, it is a research park, a city, an industrial zone, a business incubator, a zone for the development of new technologies. Their practical activities are based on research and development of high technologies, the connection of industry and R&D, the growth of productivity, the training of scientific personnel and the creation of a new employment structure, the provision of information services. As a rule, such settlements arise near large cities, in regions with a developed educational base. Their main task is to use resources, concretize and distribute scientific technologies in local research centers located near universities capable of conducting research and developing technologies. In addition, their tasks include continuous R&D, exchange of research and technical information, which creates a common research base.

The discoveries of "silicon valleys" are passed on to various companies. The peculiarity of such a model of cooperation is the interest in scientific progress not only of scientists, but also of owners of large financial and production centers, since the competitiveness of their product, the strength of the national economy, as well as the issue of the company's entry into the transnational level depends on it. This explains the concentration of all large IT companies in such "silicon valleys". Such new participants create a new structure of economic interaction in the context of globalization: transnational corporations and highways that open state borders and, in a sense, take away part of the sovereignty from national states, subordinating them to the new rules of the game. In addition, they are building new forms of interaction: free trade zones, free economic zones, international investment funds, economic development zones, free agricultural zones, as well as supranational organizations (SRS, BRICS, SCO) [6. p.340].

Modern globalization is an era of realization of the ideas of innovative development, in which monopolized knowledge becomes a new source of national wealth, innovative capital that creates innovative networks on a global scale. It is the transformation of scientific discoveries into a practical product that serves as an indicator of the innovative development of society. States that are aware of the importance of scientific knowledge in modern globalization processes occupy leading positions, while those who are not aware doom themselves to lag behind and depend on the former. Therefore, today the issue of preserving national sovereignty requires rethinking in the context of the information age and scientific and technological progress [3. p.250].

The state of affairs in Russia and post-Soviet societies

The specifics of modern globalization processes demonstrate the dependence of modernization processes on such structures as "silicon valleys", without which the state is not able to create competitive (non-raw materials) TNK and occupy high positions in the world market. This state of affairs forces us to identify objects related to the practical implementation of scientific and technological progress, located on the territory of the Russian Federation and other post-Soviet states.

On the one hand, it cannot be argued that such centers do not exist as a phenomenon. For example, in Russia in 2010, the Skolkovo Innovation Center was opened, designed to perform a similar role to Silicon Valley, and according to official data, 2,250 companies developing and producing new technologies are registered in it. But on the other hand, the results of their activities do not coincide not only with the standards set by market leaders, but even with the internal goals of the center itself. It is not entirely clear whether Skolkovo is not an exclusively symbolic hint, an application for Russia's compliance with international standards; the investment fund and its transparency also raise questions; and finally, whether measures are being developed to restructure the Russian economy and reduce the distance with advanced countries of the world. Unfortunately, due to the lack of information, we cannot give other examples.

However, there are hints of positive changes in Russia. So, in March 2021, the Moscow City Hall announced plans to open technoparks in the field of information technology, food industry and high-tech industries in the city on the site of old factories. This statement, however, is still (27.04) not supported by any regulatory documents; the dubious experience of Skolkovo does not inspire optimism either. However, the authors express the hope that this is the first step towards a full awareness of the need to introduce the practice of "silicon valleys".

Georgia, for example, demonstrates a similar picture, in which an attempt was made to open a technical university in Batumi. However, the issue was closed. The current government also promises to create an innovation center in the city of Kutaisi, the construction of which is already nearing its end. One can give an example of Tbilisi, where there are several universities claiming to be centers of innovative technologies. However, practice shows that Georgia is still far from being really included in the world modernization processes. We will be able to observe the success or failure of her attempts in the near future.

It is impossible to ignore the experience of the Republic of Belarus (for the information provided, we would like to express our special gratitude to Diana Eduardovna Vlasovets, a citizen of the Republic of Belarus, a student of the Faculty of the RANEPA MO). https://провэд-медиа .rf/eaes/belorusskij-park-vysokih.. https://www.park.by / date of appeal 06.05.21 It is notable for the fact that the first technopark in the country was created even earlier than in Russia – in 2005, by Presidential Decree No. 12 dated 22.09.05 "On the Hi-Tech Park". The purpose of its creation is to increase the competitiveness of national sectors of the economy related to the use of high technologies, to develop modern information technologies and software, to increase their exports, as well as to attract domestic and foreign investments in this area. The main activities of HTP are the development and implementation of information and communication technologies and software in industrial and other organizations of the republic, as well as the export of these technologies and software beyond its borders.

Perhaps the main merit of the Hi–Tech Park is the creation of a precedent for the practice of introducing technoparks in the CIS. In addition, its activities cannot be called fictitious: according to a release published on the HTP website, five of the ten largest global corporations applied to residents of the Belarusian "silicon Valley" for the provision of services, and at least 67 companies from around the world used the services. At the same time, 91% of the software produced in the Park was exported: 43.2% to the USA, 49.1% to Western Europe and 5.3% to Russia and CIS countries. Nevertheless, due to the delay in modernization processes, the economy of the republic is rapidly losing competitiveness. The pandemic has called into question the economic models of many countries, including Russia, a key partner of Belarus.

 In addition, the political crisis has further increased the pressure on the economic model in the republic. This is reflected in the falling demand abroad for Belarusian goods, and in the difficult situation of public finances, and in the economic situation of state concerns. Currently, the growth potential of the Belarusian economy is severely limited, which requires economic liberalization, expansion of space for private business, market reforms and improving the efficiency of state-owned companies.

Separately, we note that the post–Soviet space is a fairly broad category, covering the countries of the Baltic region, the Caucasus-Caspian region, near and Central Asia, Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. However, it is not possible to consider all these regions in one work, and therefore we have limited ourselves to a brief overview of the three states of this space. In addition, the Baltic region countries have been officially part of the EU since 2004, and therefore their consideration is allowed only as part of Europe.

Conclusions for the post-Soviet space

Turning to the conclusions, we are forced to return to the questions posed at the beginning of the work: what rules does global transnational policy rely on; does the process of transnationalization of the economy imply the leveling of national sovereignty, does it lead to the dominance of strong states over weak ones, the power of money and the redistribution of the market in the interests of the former; to what extent are these processes socially oriented, safe and acceptable for young states, especially post-Soviet ones, who do not know the rules of the market, do not have a culture of entrepreneurship and strong economic traditions; how open are the opportunities for them to participate in these processes on an equal partnership basis, can they achieve the indicators of the advanced countries of the world [12. p.337].

The study showed that the world, and especially post-Soviet societies, faced more complex challenges than during the Cold War. At the moment, they face fundamentally new tasks: they must create modern states by their own efforts, prove their viability and competitiveness, and reduce the distance with developed countries. Without all this, it is impossible to achieve equal participation in globalization processes [11.P.349].

In addition, modern realities dictate new requirements for international supranational organizations, the fulfillment of which is necessary for the formation of a predictable, transparent, controlled, stable and secure world order. On our own behalf, we can safely propose a number of specific measures:

· it is necessary to allocate global resources for the maintenance and development of lagging states, creating a stable starting position for their inclusion in the processes of globalization;

· in order to increase the efficiency of spending allocated resources, it seems expedient to establish control over the internal processes of post-Soviet societies by international organizations in areas subject to international law;

· reforms in the field of education and science are required, which should contribute to the creation of "silicon valleys", which, for its part, should lead to the primacy of the human factor and intellectual capital in the state.

We are confident that Russia and the post-Soviet space have significant potential due to the possession of resources, including human resources. With proper use of the available capital, the possibility of creating starting positions for the inclusion of these countries in the global modernization processes and overcoming the existing backlog is beyond doubt. We think that the proposed measures are the most optimal, and at this stage do not have an acceptable alternative [14.P.540].

However, it should be taken into account that no changes will have positive results without a paradigm shift in society itself. We are talking about the transformation of the traditional political culture of society into a modern (civil) one. This is the only way to bring the interests of man and society to the first place in state policy, to change the paradigm from state centrism to sociocentrism [1. 2020].

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