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?
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 […]
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 […]
