In April 2025, I successfully defended my dissertation titled The Political Economy of European Defense: Markets, Missiles, and the Pursuit of Autonomy. The study examines how expectations of foreign demand shape European defense acquisition strategies, revealing both the drivers and the limits of defense industrial integration in Europe. It argues that while anticipated foreign demand encourages countries with significant defense industrial capacities to pursue greater autonomy, this often relies on non-European markets. As a result, Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy in defense paradoxically depends on external demand, highlighting the tension between self-reliance and true self-sufficiency in arms production.
I am grateful to my dissertation committee, Lora Viola, Jonathan Caverley, and Kaija Schilde for their guidance and support throughout this project.