Cyber-Diplomacy in Latin America and Ecuador: Safeguarding the Digital Economy through Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs)

Emilia Pacheco De Larrea is a fourth-year student at Georgetown University Qatar, majoring in International Politics with a minor in History and a Certificate in Media and Politics. Her research examines the role of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in shaping digital sovereignty, cybersecurity policies, and economic integration in Latin America, focusing on Ecuador’s possible engagement with the digital economy. 

In an era of increasing geopolitical tensions and digital interconnectivity, cyberspace governance has become a contested issue among major global powers. Challenges such as mass surveillance, Big Tech interference, the accessibility of emerging technologies with low-cost, high-efficiency capabilities, and the absence of a universal legal framework on cybersecurity-related matters have undermined states’ efforts to safeguard their digital sovereignty. As multilateral, open-trade systems decline in favor of plurilateral economic arrangements, the digital economy has become a key environment for major digital empires—the United States and China—to assert influence over specific regions, commercial allies, and strategic markets. This thesis explores the role of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in shaping digital sovereignty, cybersecurity policies, and economic integration, with a specific focus on the Republic of Ecuador’s experience within Latin America. Using a geoeconomic lens, it examines how PTAs serve as instruments for states to balance digital development, cybersecurity regulations, and global trade participation. It also examines the extent to which developing economies can leverage PTAs to strengthen cybersecurity frameworks while maintaining global economic integration. These findings contribute to discussions on digital governance, trade policy, and the evolving balance between state sovereignty and global economic engagement in the digital age.

Keywords: digital governance; digital sovereignty; cybersecurity; international trade; preferential trade agreements (PTA); digital economy; United States; China; Latin America; Ecuador 

Faculty Mentor: Professor Georgios Dimitripoulos