3 The New Big Players: Emerging Powers in a Data-Driven World

The global geopolitical landscape is shifting, with traditional powerhouses increasingly challenged by emerging economies. Nations such as India, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, and regional blocs like ASEAN and BRICS are asserting their influence across economic, technological, and political domains. These emerging players are reshaping global governance, disrupting established norms, and presenting alternatives to the hegemonic models dominated by the West. The rise of these powers is best understood through data-driven analysis, which enables a detailed examination of their economic growth, technological innovation, and expanding influence on global policy.

Emerging powers are leveraging technology, global trade networks, and regional integration to carve out new roles in global governance. The availability of vast amounts of data enables the assessment of their geopolitical strategies. Data science techniques such as network analysis, predictive modeling, and econometrics allow for a granular understanding of how these nations are positioning themselves in the international system. For example, India’s digital economy and technological investments, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), have positioned it as a leader in the Global South. Similarly, Brazil has capitalized on its vast natural resources to wield influence in energy markets, while ASEAN has emerged as a hub of manufacturing and trade.

Through the lens of economic metrics, trade networks, and technological innovation, this chapter will explore how these emerging powers are disrupting the traditional geopolitical order. We will use data to track shifts in power, technological advancements, and the influence of these actors on global policy, providing a comprehensive analysis of the new geopolitical reality.

3.1 Economic Networks: Trade, Sanctions, and the Global Financial System

One of the primary ways emerging powers assert their influence is through their integration into global economic networks. Global trade routes, economic dependencies, and sanctions are key mechanisms by which power is projected and contested. For emerging powers, trade serves not only as an economic lifeline but also as a strategic tool for increasing political leverage and regional dominance.

Global Trade and Emerging Markets

Emerging economies have positioned themselves at the heart of global trade networks. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), for example, has reshaped trade routes across Asia, Europe, and Africa, positioning China as a critical player in global infrastructure development and trade. Data-driven analysis of trade routes and financial flows through network modeling reveals the extent to which China has deepened its economic ties with developing nations, particularly through investments in infrastructure and energy projects (Huang, 2016).

India’s growing role as a global services hub, particularly in IT and software services, has also increased its integration into global value chains (Nayyar, 2021). Data science techniques such as trade flow analysis and input-output models can quantify the depth and impact of these global linkages. For instance, India’s increasing share in global services exports, combined with its leadership in technology outsourcing, illustrates how economic dependencies shift in favor of emerging powers.

Brazil’s agricultural exports and dominance in global commodities markets, particularly soy, beef, and iron ore, have made it a pivotal player in global food security and energy resources (de Miranda & da Silva, 2016). Using data science tools, researchers can map commodity flows and trade networks to demonstrate how Brazil’s resource-rich economy influences global supply chains, further amplifying its geopolitical weight.

Sanctions and Financial Dependencies

Sanctions are another powerful tool in the geopolitical arsenal, often used by established powers to exert pressure on emerging economies. However, data shows that the effectiveness of sanctions is mixed, particularly as emerging powers increasingly find alternative trading partners and financial systems to bypass these economic constraints. For example, the Russia-Ukraine conflict led to unprecedented sanctions on Russia by Western nations. Yet, Russia’s ability to reroute its energy exports to China and India showcases how sanctions can be mitigated through the diversification of economic relationships (Connolly, 2018).

Network analysis of financial dependencies reveals how nations adjust their economic strategies in response to sanctions. The use of alternative payment systems like China’s Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) or Russia’s Mir payment system is an example of how emerging powers build financial resilience against Western-dominated institutions like SWIFT (Kar, 2019). Data science helps trace how these financial networks evolve in response to sanctions, and predictive models can forecast how emerging powers will continue to navigate around these restrictions.

Furthermore, the increasing role of regional financial institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS, is a direct challenge to Western-led financial structures. These institutions enable emerging economies to finance large infrastructure projects without relying on the Bretton Woods system, illustrating how financial policies and economic models are reshaping global power structures.

Energy and Resource Dependencies

Energy resources remain a critical aspect of geopolitical influence. Emerging powers, particularly those with vast natural resources, use energy as a tool to assert geopolitical leverage. For example, Russia is a significant player in global energy markets due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas. Despite sanctions, Russia’s ability to shift its energy exports toward Asian markets, particularly China, has allowed it to maintain its geopolitical influence (Mitrova, 2021).

Brazil and Saudi Arabia similarly use their energy resources to strengthen their geopolitical positions. Brazil’s leadership in biofuels and renewable energy places it at the forefront of energy transitions, while Saudi Arabia’s control over the world’s oil markets continues to make it a powerful geopolitical actor. Data science tools, including geospatial analysis and resource flow models, can be used to visualize global energy flows, highlighting how these countries control critical nodes in the global energy network (Pirani, 2018).

3.2 The Role of Technological Innovation

Technological advancement is increasingly at the core of geopolitical power. Emerging powers such as China and India are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure, positioning themselves as global leaders in the technology race. China’s leadership in 5G and AI technologies, for instance, has placed it at the center of global technological geopolitics, creating tensions with the United States over issues of cybersecurity and technological dominance (Lee, 2018).

India has become a global leader in space technology and digital payments, with its successful Mars Orbiter Mission and the widespread adoption of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) signaling its growing technological prowess (Ganguly, 2019). Data science techniques, such as patent analysis and innovation index modeling, can quantify technological advancements and project the future trajectories of emerging powers in the tech domain.

Moreover, these technological developments are reshaping global governance. Emerging powers are not only building technological capabilities but are also influencing global norms and regulations around new technologies. For example, China’s push for cyber sovereignty—the idea that each state should have control over the Internet within its borders—reflects its ambition to shape the rules of global digital governance (Segal, 2020). These shifts in technological leadership and governance illustrate how emerging powers are becoming central to global policymaking.

3.3 Conclusion

Emerging powers are no longer peripheral actors in the global system. Through their integration into global economic networks, strategic navigation of sanctions, and investments in technological innovation, these nations are reshaping global power dynamics. Data science provides essential tools to analyze and map these changes, offering a comprehensive understanding of how new geopolitical players are influencing global governance. By examining trade routes, financial systems, and technological advancements, we can better understand the new big players and their growing role in the global order.

# The New Big Players: Emerging Powers in a Data-Driven World The global geopolitical landscape is shifting, with traditional powerhouses increasingly challenged by emerging economies. Nations such as **India**, **Brazil**, **Turkey**, **Indonesia**, and regional blocs like **ASEAN** and **BRICS** are asserting their influence across economic, technological, and political domains. These emerging players are reshaping global governance, disrupting established norms, and presenting alternatives to the hegemonic models dominated by the West. The rise of these powers is best understood through data-driven analysis, which enables a detailed examination of their economic growth, technological innovation, and expanding influence on global policy. Emerging powers are leveraging **technology**, **global trade networks**, and **regional integration** to carve out new roles in global governance. The availability of vast amounts of data enables the assessment of their geopolitical strategies. **Data science techniques** such as network analysis, predictive modeling, and econometrics allow for a granular understanding of how these nations are positioning themselves in the international system. For example, India’s digital economy and technological investments, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), have positioned it as a leader in the **Global South**. Similarly, Brazil has capitalized on its vast natural resources to wield influence in energy markets, while ASEAN has emerged as a hub of manufacturing and trade. Through the lens of **economic metrics**, **trade networks**, and **technological innovation**, this chapter will explore how these emerging powers are disrupting the traditional geopolitical order. We will use data to track shifts in power, technological advancements, and the influence of these actors on global policy, providing a comprehensive analysis of the new geopolitical reality. ## Economic Networks: Trade, Sanctions, and the Global Financial System One of the primary ways emerging powers assert their influence is through their integration into global economic networks. **Global trade routes**, **economic dependencies**, and **sanctions** are key mechanisms by which power is projected and contested. For emerging powers, trade serves not only as an economic lifeline but also as a strategic tool for increasing political leverage and regional dominance. ### Global Trade and Emerging Markets Emerging economies have positioned themselves at the heart of global trade networks. **China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)**, for example, has reshaped trade routes across Asia, Europe, and Africa, positioning China as a critical player in global infrastructure development and trade. **Data-driven analysis** of trade routes and financial flows through network modeling reveals the extent to which China has deepened its economic ties with developing nations, particularly through investments in infrastructure and energy projects (Huang, 2016). India’s growing role as a global services hub, particularly in **IT and software services**, has also increased its integration into global value chains (Nayyar, 2021). Data science techniques such as **trade flow analysis** and **input-output models** can quantify the depth and impact of these global linkages. For instance, India's increasing share in global services exports, combined with its leadership in technology outsourcing, illustrates how economic dependencies shift in favor of emerging powers. **Brazil’s** agricultural exports and dominance in global commodities markets, particularly soy, beef, and iron ore, have made it a pivotal player in global food security and energy resources (de Miranda & da Silva, 2016). Using data science tools, researchers can map **commodity flows** and **trade networks** to demonstrate how Brazil’s resource-rich economy influences global supply chains, further amplifying its geopolitical weight. ### Sanctions and Financial Dependencies Sanctions are another powerful tool in the geopolitical arsenal, often used by established powers to exert pressure on emerging economies. However, data shows that the effectiveness of sanctions is mixed, particularly as emerging powers increasingly find alternative trading partners and financial systems to bypass these economic constraints. For example, the **Russia-Ukraine conflict** led to unprecedented sanctions on Russia by Western nations. Yet, Russia’s ability to reroute its energy exports to **China** and **India** showcases how sanctions can be mitigated through the diversification of economic relationships (Connolly, 2018). Network analysis of **financial dependencies** reveals how nations adjust their economic strategies in response to sanctions. The use of alternative payment systems like China’s **Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS)** or Russia’s **Mir payment system** is an example of how emerging powers build financial resilience against Western-dominated institutions like SWIFT (Kar, 2019). Data science helps trace how these financial networks evolve in response to sanctions, and predictive models can forecast how emerging powers will continue to navigate around these restrictions. Furthermore, the increasing role of **regional financial institutions**, such as the **Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)** and the **New Development Bank (NDB)** of BRICS, is a direct challenge to Western-led financial structures. These institutions enable emerging economies to finance large infrastructure projects without relying on the Bretton Woods system, illustrating how financial policies and economic models are reshaping global power structures. ### Energy and Resource Dependencies Energy resources remain a critical aspect of geopolitical influence. Emerging powers, particularly those with vast natural resources, use energy as a tool to assert geopolitical leverage. For example, **Russia** is a significant player in global energy markets due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas. Despite sanctions, Russia’s ability to shift its energy exports toward Asian markets, particularly China, has allowed it to maintain its geopolitical influence (Mitrova, 2021). **Brazil** and **Saudi Arabia** similarly use their energy resources to strengthen their geopolitical positions. Brazil’s leadership in **biofuels** and **renewable energy** places it at the forefront of energy transitions, while Saudi Arabia’s control over the world’s oil markets continues to make it a powerful geopolitical actor. **Data science** tools, including **geospatial analysis** and **resource flow models**, can be used to visualize global energy flows, highlighting how these countries control critical nodes in the global energy network (Pirani, 2018). ## The Role of Technological Innovation Technological advancement is increasingly at the core of geopolitical power. Emerging powers such as China and India are investing heavily in **artificial intelligence**, **cybersecurity**, and **digital infrastructure**, positioning themselves as global leaders in the technology race. China's leadership in **5G** and **AI** technologies, for instance, has placed it at the center of global technological geopolitics, creating tensions with the United States over issues of cybersecurity and technological dominance (Lee, 2018). **India** has become a global leader in **space technology** and **digital payments**, with its successful **Mars Orbiter Mission** and the widespread adoption of **Unified Payments Interface (UPI)** signaling its growing technological prowess (Ganguly, 2019). Data science techniques, such as **patent analysis** and **innovation index modeling**, can quantify technological advancements and project the future trajectories of emerging powers in the tech domain. Moreover, these technological developments are reshaping global governance. Emerging powers are not only building technological capabilities but are also influencing global **norms and regulations** around new technologies. For example, China’s push for **cyber sovereignty**—the idea that each state should have control over the Internet within its borders—reflects its ambition to shape the rules of global digital governance (Segal, 2020). These shifts in technological leadership and governance illustrate how emerging powers are becoming central to global policymaking. ## Conclusion Emerging powers are no longer peripheral actors in the global system. Through their integration into global economic networks, strategic navigation of sanctions, and investments in technological innovation, these nations are reshaping global power dynamics. **Data science** provides essential tools to analyze and map these changes, offering a comprehensive understanding of how new geopolitical players are influencing global governance. By examining trade routes, financial systems, and technological advancements, we can better understand the **new big players** and their growing role in the global order.