The report argues that public procurement is a useful, yet bounded, governance instrument for middle powers dependent on foreign frontier AI. By embedding contractual guarantees—such as model access for evaluation and termination clauses—into state contracts, governments can mitigate risks like vendor lock-in and data sovereignty vulnerabilities. However, the analysis finds that individual state demand provides limited leverage; therefore, the key strategic recommendation is that middle powers must coordinate their procurement efforts. This collective action is necessary to aggregate demand, share evaluation capabilities, and strengthen their collective bargaining position against dominant AI providers.
The Other War on Terror
English Summary
The article argues that the most profound impact of the global War on Terror has been not military, but domestic, fundamentally reshaping U.S. society and politics. Key evidence highlights that the conflict generated staggering human and financial costs while fostering a pervasive culture of fear, which diminished social cohesion and fueled xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment. Crucially, the security state has facilitated an uncontrolled expansion of executive power, allowing the government to curtail civil liberties under the guise of domestic safety. Policymakers must therefore conduct a reckoning with this political legacy, recognizing that the persistent threat narrative has been used to undermine democratic norms and political pluralism.
中文摘要
本文主張，全球反恐戰爭最深遠的影響並非軍事層面，而是國內層面，從根本上重塑了美國的社會和政治結構。關鍵證據指出，這場衝突產生了巨大的人力和財政成本，同時助長了一種普遍的恐懼文化，削弱了社會凝聚力，並煽動了仇外情緒和反移民情緒。至關重要的是，安全國家機制促成了行政權力不受控制的擴張，使得政府可以以「國內安全」為藉口來限制公民自由。因此，政策制定者必須對這種政治遺產進行深刻的反思，認識到持續的「威脅敘事」已被用來破壞民主規範和政治多元性。
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