DigitalSovereignty Archives

The Messi of gTLDs: How ZACR, the AUC-Aligned Registry, Became the Protected Beneficiary of a Rigged System

The Messi of gTLDs: The .Africa Applicant That Never Had to Play by the Same Rules

AI, AI Governance, Digital Sovereignty, Economic Policy, ICANN and Governance / Sophia Bekele

Published First on Linkedin Part of the ICANN & Governance Series ICANN in the Public Square Again | Part II Gianni Infantino is in trouble. After his failed plan to commercialise the World Cup, UEFA and several major European federations withdrew their support. He is now counting on the Confederation of African Football’s 54-member bloc to […]

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Polictical Interference, ICANN GAC, Kenya

Kenya Lost .africa. Here Is the Story The Citizen Kenya Left Out

AI, AI Governance, Digital Sovereignty, Economic Policy, ICANN and Governance / Sophia Bekele

Published Exclusively for CircleID. Part of the ICANN & Governance Series Kenya already had a chance at an African domain. It did not end well. The Citizen Kenya recently ran a piece encouraging ICANN’s 2026 gTLD round as an opportunity for Kenya to run custom web domains and strengthen its digital identity. Someone brought it

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The Sovereignty Premium: Why Every Board Needs a Geopolitical Risk Committee

Digital Sovereignty, Geopolitics & Foreign Policy / Sophia Bekele

The old order is burning. Allies are realigning. Capital is walking. Is your board prepared? March 14, 2026:This article is part of the Governance, Democracy & Economic Policy Series → The Pattern The old assumption — that the United States would always be the center of global trade, security, and capital — is no longer reliable. We

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A photograph of President Donald Trump speaking at a podium. Text overlay : I was not in the room, but still saw the room.

The White House Template: Claim Victory, Declare Progress, Hope No One Checks

Geopolitics & Foreign Policy, The Children in the Room Series / Sophia Bekele

March 29, 2026This article is part of the Governance, Democracy & Economic Policy Series → — Yet the Alliance Is Still Burning—The Children in the Room II Prologue: The Template In 2026, a pattern emerged. The U.S. president would announce a breakthrough — an ally agreeing, a deal close, a war nearly over. Within hours, sometimes

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Scientists Have Spoken. Now Who Will Build?

AI Governance, Cyber Security, Economic Policy / Sophia Bekele

March 13, 2026: This article is part of the AI, Cybersecurity, and Risk Series → Christopher Yoo’s recent piece in the Business Times—“AI governance: The summit stage is necessary but it isn’t sufficient”—captures a moment that many in the AI policy world are feeling but few have articulated so clearly. The India AI Impact Summit was

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