Simulation and cognitive sovereignty in the Global South: epistemological dependence and strategic autonomy

Abstract

The use of modeling and simulation has extended beyond the technical domain and now shapes the pace of strategic decision-making in defense, logistics, and public policy. However, there is a blind spot in this expansion: the tendency to treat simulation merely as an operational support tool. This article seeks to challenge that view by arguing that simulation actually functions as an epistemological technology—a cognitive infrastructure that shapes how we produce knowledge about reality. The central problem emerges when countries in the Global South import models and conceptual frameworks from external contexts, thereby reinforcing forms of epistemological dependence. The argument advanced here is that cognitive sovereignty also depends on the critical mastery of these technologies. As a theoretical contribution, this study introduces the Cognitive Sovereignty of Simulation Matrix, a framework structured around five fundamental pillars: sovereignty of models, data, tools, interpretation, and application. Finally, the article demonstrates how wargaming can operate as a practical vector for achieving such autonomy.