Extrastatecraft turns out to be a survey of the state of supranational infrastructures. Things like free trade zones, international broadband, and telecommunications, in general, have been harmonized, homogenized and replicated all over the world, beyond the reach of governing power structures to modify them. Your bank or credit card fits any ATM or card reader anywhere. Your venmo can be used anywhere. Your computer connection is the same worldwide. In addition to these situations, worldwide standards for quality, production, and management from supranational agencies like the ISO.
The author also shares the concept of extrastatecraft as “a portmanteau describing the often undisclosed activities outside of, in addition to, and sometimes even in partnership with statecraft”, as I understand, a place where there is power from a higher political, sociology interest.The text gives me the reflection how we as designers might design for inclusive, creating a better balance in between public and private, for example. In what ways might we design to embrace most places and people in the world? Or how might we be conscious about this extracstatecraft?
