In the modern world, Science and Technology are the backbones of a country. West has been using S&T as a tool of modernization of their economy as well as social welfare and became the leader. The Latest example is China, which also emphasized Science, Technology, and Innovation to uplift their country. Today, China has emerged as a global geopolitical and geo-economic power, it is all based on STI.
Recently, the White House has released an updated list of Critical and Emerging Technologies (“CET List”), which will serve to inform a forthcoming strategy on U.S. technological competitiveness and national security.
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Understanding CETs
Critical and emerging technologies (CETs) are a subset of advanced technologies that are potentially significant to U.S. national security. The 2021 Interim National Security Strategic Guidance defines three national security objectives: protect the security of the American people, expand economic prosperity and opportunity, and realize and defend democratic values. This list identifies CETs with the potential to further these objectives and builds on the October 2020 National Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technologies, which contains an initial list of priority CETs.
The U.S. Government, the private sector, allies, and partners must understand and remain focused on developing and deploying the technologies that are most critical to our national security, economic prosperity, and to realizing and defending our democratic values. In addition, our joint leadership in CETs faces growing challenges from strategic competitors and adversaries who recognize the benefits of CET and are organizing human and capital resources on a national scale to challenge our lead in areas with long-term consequences.
In response to these challenges, the United States remains unwaveringly committed to advancing technology leadership with our allies and partners to protect our shared security interests, economic prosperity, and democratic values.
Each nation has its strengths and weaknesses, as well as various requirements. It is not necessary, anything good for one country must be good for others.
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But, it will help to consult others’ experiences
In the case of Pakistan, our national requirements, and available resources, we need to devise our strategies and prioritize the areas, which may need urgent attention. Then, short-term, medium,-term, and long-term strategies may be formulated.
Although, Pakistan is facing several challenges, and some of them are quite serious, yet, it is believed that Pakistan possesses the capacity to prioritize its strategies and can overcome them one by one. If the right people, based on merit are tasked to find solutions to our genuine problems, trust, we can come out of the crisis.
Pakistan is blessed with huge talent of scientists, technologists, engineers, and other important disciplines, it is hardly a matter of organizing them in a productive manner, where they can contribute and integrate efforts of each other to overcome our national problems.
However, the existing structure has failed to pull the nation out of the crisis. It requires an out-of-the-box solution. A non-traditional approach may be required to rectify the issues. It requires an unprecedented approach and is supported by political will. A legal system may be introduced which may facilitate the problem solvers on a priority basis. Comprehensive reforms are the need of time to face the severe challenges faced by our nation. An ordinary and typical existing framework is not sufficient at all.
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The government may take bold steps, but, must be based on merit only. Must reject nepotism and ad-hoc-ism, a sustainable approach may have opted. It is time to be awakened and take the right decision at right time. We can overcome our problems.
Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. He can be reached at awanzamir@yahoo.com. The views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.