A Spectrum of Autonomy: Towards a Theoretical Framework of Strategic Autonomy

Abstract

Despite the renewed significance and popularity of strategic autonomy in recent years, this term remains undertheorized. Current usage of the term makes it difficult to determine whether an actor is strategically autonomous or not, and whether a particular course of action enhances autonomy or decreases it. This article thus begins by tracing the intellectual history of strategic autonomy, and then by evaluating the way in which modern scholars use this term. Consequently, it advances a novel conceptualization of the term, arguing that instead of being a binary concept, strategic autonomy represents the highest level of autonomy on a full spectrum of autonomy. While providing a comprehensive theory of strategic autonomy is beyond the scope of this article, we offer some preliminary hypotheses on why the international system incentivizes actors to pursue strategic autonomy.