A few years ago, I was leading a geopolitics and technology research project. While a lot of people were, and still are, obsessed with understanding the great powers and how they create technology (such as the United States and China), I was more intrigued by the impact that this competition had on smaller countries. I created a framework that divided the world into two: technology makers, and technology takers. Through this lens, innovation becomes a fascinating pressure point on global political dynamics. Especially when you consider that one of the largest economic zones in the world, Europe, is still a…