Geopolitical tensions disrupt Amazon’s Bahrain cloud infrastructure: systemic risks of digital colonialism and energy-geopolitical entanglements exposed

Indigenous and local communities in Bahrain and the broader Gulf region view digital infrastructure as a form of neocolonial extraction, where foreign-owned data centers extract value while externalizing risks like geopolitical strikes and environmental degradation. Bahraini activists have long protested the militarization of infrastructure, linking cloud data centers to U.S. naval bases and framing them as part of a ‘digital occupation.’ Traditional knowledge systems in the region emphasize communal data stewardship over corporate control, but these perspectives are systematically excluded from tech policy debates.

The incident reflects a century-long pattern of geopolitical conflict in the Gulf, from British colonial oil concessions to U.S. military bases post-1991 Gulf War, where digital infrastructure has become the latest battleground. The 1953 CIA-backed coup in Iran and subsequent sanctions regimes created the conditions for today’s cyber-physical conflicts, with cloud data centers now serving as high-value targets in hybrid warfare. Historical parallels include the 2012 Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear program and the 2017 NotPetya cyberattack, which disrupted global supply chains, foreshadowing the systemic risks of concentrated digital infrastructure.

In Iran, digital sovereignty is framed through the concept of ‘resistance economy’ (eedd-e moqavemat), where self-reliance in technology is tied to national survival against sanctions and cyber warfare. South Asian scholars critique ‘data apartheid,’ where local knowledge is commodified by global platforms without reciprocity, drawing parallels to colonial-era resource extraction. In Latin America, movements like Brazil’s ‘Marco Civil da Internet’ emphasize data localization as a tool for cultural preservation and political autonomy, contrasting with Western models of centralized cloud governance.

Cloud data centers consume 1-2% of global electricity, with Middle Eastern facilities often powered by fossil fuels, exacerbating climate change and geopolitical energy dependencies. The concentration of data centers in conflict zones increases systemic risk, as evidenced by the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, which disrupted fuel supplies across the U.S. Southeast. Research shows that hybrid warfare—combining cyber, kinetic, and informational attacks—exploits vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, with cloud services as prime targets due to their centralization and interdependence.

Artists in the Gulf have used digital media to critique the militarization of infrastructure, such as Bahraini graffiti depicting cloud data centers as ‘digital oil rigs’ or Iranian filmmakers portraying cyber warfare as a modern form of colonial violence. Spiritual traditions in the region, including Sufi and Shia thought, frame digital sovereignty as a moral duty to protect communal knowledge from corporate and state exploitation. In indigenous Amazonian cosmologies, data is seen as a living entity requiring stewardship, contrasting sharply with the extractive logic of cloud computing.

By 2030, the Middle East is projected to host 20% of global cloud capacity, increasing geopolitical risks as digital and physical infrastructures become indistinguishable. Scenario modeling suggests that escalating U.S.-Iran tensions could lead to a ‘digital blockade,’ where cloud outages disrupt regional economies, supply chains, and governance systems. Alternative futures include decentralized, community-owned cloud networks powered by renewable energy, reducing reliance on fossil-fueled grids and geopolitical flashpoints.

Marginalized workers in Amazon’s Bahrain data centers—often migrant laborers from South Asia—face precarious conditions and are disproportionately affected by geopolitical strikes, yet their voices are absent from mainstream narratives. Bahraini human rights activists, including those from the Shia majority, have documented how digital infrastructure facilitates state surveillance and repression, linking tech expansion to authoritarian governance. Indigenous and feminist scholars in the Global South argue that cloud computing exacerbates ‘epistemic injustice,’ where local knowledge is erased in favor of Western tech paradigms.