‘EU in Search of Identity: Theoretical and Philosophical Aspects of Strategic Autonomy

The process of modern world order construction is still ongoing. It is accompanied by various transformations, which, among other things, affect the normative and value orientations of the world political actors and push them to reflect both on their place in the new world order and, ultimately, on their identities. Studying these identities contributes to a deeper understanding of the logic of their behavior in domestic and foreign policy. At a time when, on the one hand, the European Union is striving for greater actorness and independence in its actions in the international arena and, on the other hand, crisis tendencies in European integration and the reduction of the EU’s normative force are quite palpable, the problem of the European Union's identity is becoming increasingly relevant. This article puts to test the hypothesis that the European Union uses the concept of strategic autonomy as a tool for (re)constructing its identity. The theoretical and philosophical foundations of this concept are examined through the constructivist paradigm using the materials of theoretical works, organizational documents and practices on the subject. The study proceeds from a broad understanding of strategic autonomy as the ability and possibility of the European Union to pursue an autonomous policy in strategically important areas and on a wide range of issues, from strengthening its defense capabilities to protecting values. The authors give a brief overview of the origins, evolution and crisis of the 'European idea' as the raison d'être of European integration and the basis of the European Union's identity. The article also examines the relationship between the categories of identity and strategic autonomy. The main method of the research is discourse analysis at the level of EU’s strategic and policy documents. The results of the study have shown that the concept of strategic autonomy offers, both a predictable strategy for behavior in relations with others, and a coherent narrative regarding the EU as a global player. Thus, the authors conclude that by implementing the concept of strategic autonomy the EU can find a way out of its identity crisis.