Abstract
Reluctant Power is one of the most significant works in (tele)communications and information policy studies. Through a dexterous utilization of historical analysis and political economy, Rita Zajácz eloquently offers new perspectives on global communication and global governance in the early 20th century. Up until now, academic discourses on telecommunications networks in the pre-internet era mainly focused on commercial interests and national struggles. Reluctant Power has extended the scope to global communication by investigating international conflicts and tensions among several major international players, including nation-states and multinational corporations (MNCs). By closely analysing three key terms – territory, capital and technology – within a broader milieu surrounding international political economy, known as world system theory, Zajácz discusses the ways in which these tri-level norms and their interactions are applied across early networks, from telegraphy to radiotelegraphy. Leading from that, Zajácz advances an analytical framework for network control between countries, which leads the discussions of contemporary American efforts to retain control over digital technologies.
Zajácz divides her major themes, theories and analytical approaches into eight chapters, which work marvellously as a whole. Chapter 1, as the foundation of the book, explains several key concepts running through the book and the reasons for the importance of the 1899–1934 period, the decisive decades when the policy foundations of American ascendancy were laid. It also addresses a major theoretical framework of network control that serves as a source of ‘leverage and countervailing influence’ (2). Part I includes three chapters under the theme of autonomy. Chapter 2 discusses the rejection of the Marconi Company’s of the U.K. attempt to shape network structure via private contracts at the 1903 and 1906 international conferences among several maritime states, incudling the U.K., Germany, the U.S., France, and Spain, to discuss internation communication policy issues. In Chapter 3, Zajácz analyses licensing in tandem with the Radio Act of 1912 of the U.S. This chapter especially addresses the geopolitical significance of the era and argues that the ‘geopolitical significance of this legislation lies in three provisions: licensing, interconnection, and citizenship regulations’ (p. 107). Chapter 4 examines the American control of multinational corporations as national ownership by linking foreign ownership restrictions on mega telecommunications corporations between 1912 and 1919.
Part II comprises of four chapters under the title of expansion. Chapter 5 maps out American policymakers’ efforts to obtain control over the US–Latin America circuit with the formation of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in the 1910s. Chapter 6 discusses American approaches of expansion by emphasizing several corporate strategies, including cartels, consortiums, and foreign direct investment (FDI), which resulted in the integration of the global radio and cable networks. Chapter 7 explains the enactment of foreign ownership regulations and discusses the establishment of the Communications Act of 1934 of the U.S. It emphasizes that, by then, ‘the U.S. government as a whole had embraced the country’s new role in global communications, and sought to encourage the expansion of American multinationals’ (pp. 263–264). Finally, Chapter 8 summarizes the book and explains how the US is able to retain control over the internet with its learnings from its experience in the early 20th century.
There are numerous primary values of this book. Most of all, it is textually rich and historically well-grounded. Zajácz’s convincing discussions rely deeply on her historical approach, which itself is based on her archival research in several institutions. Her endless efforts to not only check relevant materials and evidence, but also bring them to life with her dexterous interpretations have paid off. This book’s use of historical materials is also closely connected to her understanding of political economy in that she fully analyses the transition and transformation of global communication so that the readers easily comprehend the complicated geopolitics surrounding the early telecommunications technologies as one of the most convincing cases of globalization.
The second focal characteristic of the book lies in its well-organized structure. By segmenting the period, 1899–1934, each chapter provides clear historical overviews and key concepts, including the establishment of radiotechnology, as ‘radio had become the American opportunity – the technology of the future that would propel the U.S. to supremacy in global communication’ (240), MNCs, the RCA, and the Communications Act of 1934. The structural strength allows the readers to make connections with concepts, theories and methodologies. Likewise, each chapter offers the ideas behind several crucial concepts so that the readers can easily recognize the main themes and discussions of the book.
Last, but not least, this book delivers convincing evidence of the internationalization process of the American telecommunications empire. By addressing the major debates between nationalists and globalists, Zajácz undoubtedly advances her interpretation of imperialism, geopolitics and globalization while clarifying the reasons why the US was a reluctant power during the era of radiotechnology. In order words, she greatly develops her discussions on two different points of view between nationalists who doubted MNCs’ loyalties to the nation and globalists who supported an open-door policy, which ultimately actualizes American imperialism.
Regardless of these valuable assets, there are a handful of issues that the book could have further developed. On the one hand, while the book suitably discusses the geopolitics surrounding early telecommunications technologies between the US and Europe, followed by the US and Latin America, it does not emphasize the significant relationships between the US and Asia other than intermittently discussing some historical facts, which remains a blind spot. On the other hand, it misses one key conceptual and theoretical framework, which is globalization. Although it discusses the importance of global communication with early telecommunications technologies, it does not provide any meaningful explanations about the notion of globalization. As this book convinces its readers to think about the globalization process that occurred in the early 20th century, it would be great to have had Zajácz’s notion of globalization, which would have strengthened the analyses in the book.
Overall, Zajácz’s book is highly recommended for a wide range of readers who are interested in information policy, communication history and political economy. The analyses and discussions are extremely compelling, and the chapters are very informative and connected. Since the book offers insights into global communication by providing empirical detail and useful historical interpretations, it is presented as a welcome contribution to a growing body of literature on telecommunications studies, communication history, globalization and political economy.