The Enshittification of American Power

For decades, the allies United States lived comfortably in the midst of the spread of American hegemony. They have built their financial institutions, their communication systems and their national defense in addition to the infrastructure provided by the United States.

And right now, they probably want they haven’t done it.

In 2022, Cory Doctorow invented the term “Tales” to describe a cycle that took place many times in the online economy. Entrepreneurs are starting to make high promises of mind to bring new users to try their platforms. But once users, suppliers and advertisers have been locked up – by network effects, insurmountable collective action problems, high switching costs – tactics changes. Platform owners are starting to tighten their users for everything they can get, even if the platform fills with a lower and lower quality slope. Then they also start to tighten the sellers and advertisers.

People generally do not think of military equipment, US dollar and satellite constellations as platforms. But that’s what they are. When the American allies buy advanced military technologies such as fighter planes F-35, they obtain not only an airplane but the associated suite of communication technologies, provision of parts and technological support. When companies engage in world finance and trade, they regularly transport their transactions via a platform called the Dollar compensation system, administered by a handful of institutions regulated by the United States. And when nations must establish internet connectivity in places that are difficult to access, it is likely that they will be based on a constellation of satellites – Starlink – by a single company with deep links with the American state, Elon Musk’s space. As with Facebook and Amazon, American hegemony is supported by network logic, which makes all these platforms difficult and costly to break.

For decades, the American allies have accepted American control of these systems because they believed in the American commitment to an “international order based on rules”. They can no longer convince themselves. Not in a world where President Trump threatens to annex Canada, promises to acquire Greenland from Denmark and announces that foreign officials could be prohibited from entering the United States if they “demand that American technological platforms adopt global content moderation policies”.

Since Trump resumed the office in January, in fact, rapid care has become the principle of organization of the United States. This time, Trumpworld understands that – by controlling the infrastructure layer of finance, technology and world security – he has large coercion machines at his disposal. As Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada recently said, “the United States is starting to monetize his hegemony.”

So, what is an ally to do? Like individual consumers trapped by Google Search or Facebook as the basic product is deteriorating, many learn how difficult it is to leave the network. And as the countless startups that have tried to create an alternative to Twitter or Facebook over the years – most of them now forgotten, some successful – other allies are desperately rushed to understand how to build their own network.

Infrastructure tends to Be invisible until it starts to be used against you. In 2020, the United States imposed sanctions on the Director General of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, for having repressed the demonstrations of democracy on behalf of China. Suddenly, Lam particularly knew the power of the dollar compensation system – a layer of global financial machines that most people have never heard.