A Spectrum of Autonomy

Towards a Theoretical Framework of Strategic Autonomy

Bibliographic Data

ID9941735
AuthorsHoang Le Thai Vu (Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Hanoi, Viet Nam), Lan Di Ngo (0009-0006-1979-2775, Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, Hanoi, Viet Nam, corresponding author), Thành Nguyen (0000-0003-4536-3908, Yale University), Thanh Tien Nguyen (Yale University)
Year2024
Volume79
Issue2
Pages230-249
Publication date2024-06-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal Canada s Journal of Global Policy Analysis (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-7020 • E-ISSN: 2052-465X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00207020241256000
OpenAlexW4396969876
LanguageEN
Citations received3

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

Autonomy · Physics · Political science · Quantum mechanics · Spectrum (functional analysis · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics

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