Private Network Realignment: State Strategies Versus Market-Driven Globalization in the Subsea Cable Network

Abstract

Much of the subsea cable network, which carries the vast majority of global internet traffic, is developed, owned, and operated by private corporations. In an era of growing global tensions, states have come to view these cables as critical to their interests. The article addresses the disconnect between statecraft-centric explanations and the market-driven development of global networks. It introduces the concept of private network realignment: Political interventions aimed at retroactively reshaping infrastructures and adjacent markets by influencing the decisions of private corporations. After decades of neoliberal globalization, networks are often organized around large corporations that drive their development. In reaction, states employ varied realignment strategies, the choice of which depends on their position in the network as well as that of relevant corporate actors. Empirically, the article examines two instructive, prototypical cases: the US–China conflict over the SeaMeWe-6 subsea cable system, and France's nationalization of Alcatel Submarine Networks. The findings highlight the uneven effectiveness of great power interventions, which opens up space for other highly connected powers to pursue autonomous network realignment strategies. The article contributes to contemporary debates on network competition, providing a perspective on how market dynamics and state strategizing intersect in the development of global networks.