This paper challenges the AI arms race narrative and explores evidence-based strategies in non-Western regional forums for international cooperation in AI development, and meaningful global collaboration.

The research is based on an analysis of 327 policy documents from APEC, ASEAN, the African Union, and the G20 to show the global majority – representing 62% of global GDP and billions of citizens – is constructing a strategic 'third path' operating beneath and beyond superpower rivalry: pragmatic pluralism.

Key insights

• Functional equivalence: the path to interoperability is not unified laws, but recognition that different mechanisms can achieve the same security and accountability outcomes.
• Strategic power in convening: governance power is shifting to those who host the critical debates.
• Problem-driven governance: cooperation emerges from solving shared, concrete challenges (a “problem-up” approach) like climate adaptation, education, and integrating the informal economy. This builds trust and momentum that abstract principle-based negotiations often lack.
• Capacity is enforcement: in many regions, capability-building is the governance mechanism. Compliance is achieved through peer support and skills transfer, which is more effective than punitive sanctions where implementation capacity is low.