大象传媒

The UK is seeking energy independence. The US wants its microchips to be 'made in America'. China is targeting self-sufficiency in food. India wants technological 'self-reliance'. Is this a new age of autarky?

The concept of autarky originated in ancient Greece, where it was both a philosophical ideal and a practical goal of statecraft in a hostile and treacherous world. The autarkic lure has persisted down the centuries since: in modern times autarky has been adopted as an aspiration by left-wing and right-wing movements, by communist and fascist regimes, and by empires and anti-imperialists.

Ben Chu, economics editor of 大象传媒 Newsnight, charts the rise of modern autarky while also asking: is there something in our human make-up that keeps drawing us back to autarky's promise of security, control and self-sufficiency?

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