Beyond Trending: What is strategic autonomy?

Strategic autonomy

Strategic autonomy is fundamentally defined as a state’s ability to make its decisions in matters of foreign policy and security without being structurally dependent on external powers. Barbara Lippert, Nicolai von Ondarza, and Volker Perthes define strategic autonomy “as the ability to set priorities and make decisions in matters of foreign policy and security, together with the institutional, political and material wherewithal to carry these through – in cooperation with third parties, or if need be alone.” 

Thus, in contrast to the principles of non-alignment or equidistance, strategic autonomy involves diversification of partnerships and alliances to manage volatility, avoid entrapment and pursue independent policy decisions. 

It may be recalled here that during the Cold War, great powers dictated the international order through the projection of their material capabilities – military might, political influence, and economic strength. In this rigidly bipolar system, countries like India practiced the policy of equidistance and non-alignment – a strategy enabling them to maximise the room for manoeuvre.   

However, as the 21st century progressed, the post-Cold War unipolar system led by the US was increasingly challenged by the emergence of other ‘great’, ‘middle’ and ‘emerging’ powers, as they also began to review their dependency on trade, finance, technology, and security. The Trump administration’s exploitation of trade, tariffs, technology, and security as tools of coercion further accelerated this shift by exposing other powers to the strategic risks of over-reliance on a single power.  

Diversified partnerships, capabilities 

Against this backdrop, strategic autonomy gradually acquired a pivotal role in the foreign policy discourse of India and Europe, as states seek to rebuild resilience to hedge against the volatility without surrendering agency. 

Factors like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an inward-looking US, and the risks arising from a tightening China-Russia continental alignment are seen as shaping the strategic meaning of the Indo-European idea. C Raja Mohan notes that this shift is reflected in Germany’s move to assume greater responsibility for Europe’s security, and India’s effort to hedge by deepening ties with Germany and the wider Europe. 

However, in the present context of techno-geopolitical order, strategic autonomy rests not just on diversified partnerships but also on capabilities, including the control of critical minerals, chokepoints, and advanced manufacturing. India’s delayed entry into the US-led Pax Silica and Minerals Security Partnership perhaps offers a case in point.

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