The state of Google

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Oxblood Ruffin: Nov 09 2012, 02:25 IST

worse. Untroubled by Google’s hubris in China, Schmidt recruited Jared Cohen, a state department wunderkind advisor to Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. Cohen is widely credited as an architect of 21st century statecraft, a frappuccino diplomacy practised by Americans who’ve taken one too many hits from the social media bong.

Also in the current mix of Google as government, or information state, or whatever it is they’re trying to be over there, is Regina Dugan, former director of the Pentagon’s premier research lab. Dugan quit in March 2012 to take a senior executive position at Google. At one point Schmidt was surrounded by geeks. Now he’s hip deep in policy wonks, Washington insiders and information activists. Just what one wants to advise on Google’s latest market target, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

While it would be unfair to suggest there is no difference between Google and the US government, certain overlaps are cause for concern. Partnering with the NSA is just one of them. And as Google commits to market development in the MENA, one wonders what other aspirations the infolith has for the region. It’s one thing to delude oneself about the political benefits of technology in emerging networks. It’s quite another to bungle about in a volatile region just because one can.

Immediately after Google flamed out in China, it made a beeline for the MENA with a new team of political operators in place. The official line is that the region represents a great market

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