New Century, Old Foes: Assessing the Policy Relevance of Strategic Culture in Central and Eastern Europe
Abstract
Following the end of the Cold War, formulas based on rationalist theory and external factors failed to resonate in a new era of political independence. The new social order brought new life to the concept of "Strategic Culture" and the idea that unique national identities and collective experiences have tangible influence on strategic thoughts and choices. This monograph examines the factors which influenced the post Cold War security choices of Poland, Romania and Russia and the degree to which those choices were influenced by each nation's individual strategic culture. While Poland and Romania opted to pursue western democratic ideals, heavy investments in alliances, and assumed that the post Cold War status quo could not be taken for granted, Russia, challenged by NATO's eastward expansion followed a traditional quest for Great Power status. This work uses the Russian annexation of Crimea to assess the impact of these three country's strategic cultures on their policies and actions towards the most direct ideological and territorial challenge to the new order since the end of the Cold War to determine that strategic culture can be used as a viable tool when assessing potential actions to an event.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1137148
Entities
People
- Tobie Gass
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College