Projecting toward strategic autonomy
Europe is seeking new directions in evolving global politics and pressure pot. Strategic autonomy is defence politics term also used in context of foreign policy, technology policy and economics. In the past Europe was seeking to project openness, multilateralism, and liberal values to rest of the world. The rapid technological development took over Europe in the shadows of Internet. This interdependency and transatlantic relations delivered both opportunities but in recent years more and more challenges.
Strategic autonomy is not easy political concept, but it has existed for very long time. In the interdependent world is vital to open what autonomy means. It is not about national nor economic isolation rather preserving balance in the connect economics, global value chains and technological systems. The aim of strategic autonomy is not to replace existing security and defence policy structures such as NATO and close collaboration between western value alliance. The focus of European strategic autonomy is to become equally independent from China, Russia and USA in post-2016 era where technical sphere is becoming highly polarized and disconnected. Strategic autonomy is about balanced international relations internally in Europe and secondly between interdependencies in transatlantic partners.
The strategic autonomy comes very much to questions on digital technology – and digital technology resilience. The European goal is to become less dependent from any power affecting Europe’s own paths, choices and dependencies globally. This doesn’t mean to build fortress Europe – and cut the union off. Europe has been under performer and become underdog of digital era where IT is embedded everywhere is life, society, business and economy. Strategic sovereignty is about making free choices and avoiding over dependency to since nation or few firms. This type over dependency can and has led to loss of viable freedom and integrity between union members. Sovereignty is about becoming equal partner in interdependent techno economical sphere.
Strategic autonomy is highly important to Europe, to European people, citizens, values, culture, future, business, industry and economy. Europe has failed with RDI and education policies aiming to make impact. Europe has only four companied on the world’s TOP 100 most valuable new gazelles. The are no long-term sustaining missions and systems-of-systems development programs to stop brain drain. We should openly ask our policy makers, government public servant and academic heads how feasible our self-sustaining path is at the moment.
Technological idealism and projection of open economy has led to monopolistic control of invisible digital infrastructure by Microsoft and Amazon. The control of services above invisible digital infrastructure “namely cloud” have led to loss of privacy, valued flows, data assets and financial monetarization payments sphere. All these services are today are not European. It is clear to say European strategic technology policies such as digital single market, digital jobs and connect markets has led to loss of tech war. We need to see the world with and from the yeas of Europeans. Why – the wars are no longer physical. The new wars are wars on opinions, attitudes, policies, narratives, concepts and financial assets.
Europe will not succeed by replicating top downs Asian control-based technology development nor it will not succeed by imitating existing services. Europe will not win by regulating market with GDPR nor by once again projecting regulation-based idealism without technology, innovation and industrial policy. Europe is drifting in global battle between China and US.
There are solutions which will deliver autonomy. The green digital is critical firsts step in series of actions making Europe more competitive, innovative, relevant, resilient, and secure. Europe must restructure policy making to shift from growth limiting regulation bureaucracy to capabilities-based competition. Europe is fit to make new transformative education, innovation, venturing and sustaining growth action to show the world how good we as Europeans are.
This blog is summary of half a dozen public high level policy speeches given during summer 2021 at Europe by former heads of states, prime ministers, commissioners and foreign policy advisors.
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Your strategic sovereing innovation and capabilities policy expert,
Mika Helenius
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