Over time, the concept of European strategic autonomy has come to encapsulate the EU’s desire to chart its own (foreign) policy course according to its own laws, interests, and values. At risk of being sucked into the emerging whirlpool of intensifying global competition, if not unbridled US-China rivalry, the case for such an objective seems […]
Strategic Autonomy
Facing a multitude of crises, the EU has placed strategic autonomy at the heart of its external action. The Union’s quest for autonomy, which embodies its desire to enhance its capacity to act according to its own laws, interests and values in a world increasingly defined by geopolitical competition, has only been given additional credence by the recent developments in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific.
In this special dossier, the Progressive Post looks at three important but rather underexplored aspects of a concept that appears firmly set to guide EU (foreign) policy. (How) can autonomy be aligned with the bloc’s international agenda of democracy and human rights? What does pursuing European autonomy mean for the transatlantic relationship? What are some of the key risks involved in its pursuit?
Load more
The US may wish to stay away from the European strategic autonomy debate, but the future of the transatlantic relationship remains the defining factor of the discussion. If the Biden administration is serious about engaging with allies, it needs to clarify its position on the concept. The European debate on strategic autonomy often seems stuck […]
The debate about the EU’s strategic autonomy has picked up again – not least because the sudden US-withdrawal from Afghanistan in September 2021 surprised Europeans in such a bad way. One reason for this was the insufficient communication and coordination of Europe’s most important ally, the US. The second reason is that it made very […]
Related articles
Europe in the jaws of history
The Russian aggression against Ukraine with its manifold consequences determined politics and life in Europe in 2022, and it will continue to do so in 2023. From the point of view of country size, Europe’s largest country invaded the second largest one. The effects have been not only European but global. It is primarily the […]
The better part of valour: peace for Ukraine
Not discretion, but clarity is the better part of valour. Ukraine has courageously resisted the imperialist assault on its sovereignty by Russia, whose most important war aim is to reach back to Peter the Great. Russia wants access to warm-water ports, and buffers against invasion to its West and North. Whatever the successes of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, these aims have all been tainted in one way or another.
A rupture that is difficult to mend
While offering candidate status for EU accession to Ukraine was the right decision, stalling the accession of the Western Balkans however was a big strategic mistake – one that will be difficult to mend.