Present tense technological competition: Natural resources, information, and American national security

Abstract Contemporary debates surrounding emerging military technologies and international security tend to focus exclusively on the technical traits of such capabilities in an attempt to determine if, once operational, they will increase the likelihood of armed conflict in the future or not. This article argues, however, that the race to acquire the natural resources and information that are critical for developing, manufacturing, and operating emerging military technologies had become a major source of global discord and determinately contributed to the contemporary great power competition among the United States, China, and Russia.