Gloria Shkurti Özdemir

The importance of discussing digital geopolitics in the context of China–US competition. Unlike traditional technologies such as nuclear or biochemical weapons, digital technologies like artificial intelligence, algorithms, data, and computing power are virtual, rapidly evolving, and deeply embedded in everyday life.

This article examines Türkiye’s strategic transformation into an emerging digital power within the context of the evolving technopolar international order. It argues that Türkiye’s pursuit of technological sovereignty, through investments in AI, defense innovation, digital infrastructure, and indigenous research, is not merely an economic or developmental ambition but a deliberate effort to enhance strategic autonomy and recalibrate its foreign policy positioning. Drawing on a theoretical framework that integrates offensive realism, constructivist insights, and strategic autonomy theory, the study explores how technological capacity has become central to Türkiye’s identity formation, regional influence, and global aspirations. The analysis is empirically grounded in the findings of the TechPulse Türkiye 2025 report, which captures the country’s technological advancements and their broader geopolitical implications. The article concludes that Türkiye’s case exemplifies how rising powers can transition from technology consumers to autonomous actors shaping the rules of the emerging global order.