Amitabh Kant argues for India’s strategic autonomy doctrine

Amitabh Kant, Chairperson of the Fairfax Centre for Free Enterprise and former G20 Sherpa of India, has argued that India needs a doctrine of 'strategic autonomy' to navigate a world marked by deep uncertainty, fragmentation, and the fraying of old alliances. In a piece published by NatStrat, Kant contends that as the United States adopts an 'America First' stance and global governance institutions struggle with a 'polycrisis,' India must preserve its sovereign decision-making while pursuing ambitious economic and technological goals.

Kant outlines that strategic autonomy spans economic, technological, energy, and geopolitical domains. He warns that without building capacity in frontier technologies like AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing, India risks becoming a 'technological colony' of either the West or China. He also highlights energy autonomy as extending beyond oil to include solar cells, batteries, and critical minerals, noting that China dominates 80% of global critical minerals processing and solar cell manufacturing.