The Logistics of Hegemony: Semiconductor Chokepoints, Global Production Networks, and the Emergence of 'Pax Silica'

This article develops a theoretical framework of logistical hegemony to explain how infrastructures, chokepoints, and global production networks structure the exercise of power in the world economy. While debates about U.S.–China technological rivalry increasingly invoke the idea of a “Pax Silica,” the article argues that contemporary struggles over semiconductor supply chains represent not a new hegemonic order but a logistical adaptation of Pax Americana. Drawing on structural power theory, global value chain analysis, and infrastructure studies, the article conceptualizes hegemonic orders as historically specific logistical regimes. Through a comparative analysis of Pax Romana, Pax Britannica, Pax Americana, and the emerging U.S. techno-security architecture, it demonstrates that while the material basis of hegemony evolves the underlying logic remains constant: control over the infrastructures that organize global circulation. The article concludes by assessing the fragility of “Pax Silica” and its implications for global capitalism, technological governance, and geopolitical stability.