Dr. Deon Canyon, associate dean of academics and professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, explores the hidden costs of refusing Access, Basing, and Overflight (ABO) agreements in his latest Security Nexus Perspective, “The Sovereignty Illusion of Refusing Access, Basing, and Overflight.” Canyon argues that while refusal may appear to protect sovereignty in the short term, it often generates delayed and diffuse costs that erode decisional and political sovereignty over time. Using Sri Lanka’s post-SOFA trajectory as a case study, the paper highlights how outright refusal can create strategic vacuums filled on less favorable terms. Canyon advocates for structured engagement as a more effective alternative, enabling states to preserve sovereignty while managing long-term risks.
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