Comparative Strategic Cultures Workshop-Phase I
Abstract
There is enormous intuitive appeal to the idea that if "culture matters" at some general level then it must also be important in shaping national security processes and outcomes. There is an extensive academic literature on this issue-often called "strategic culture" and it serves as a sort of folk theorem that practitioners and casual observers of foreign affairs find compelling. Beyond that the potential impact of arguments related to strategic culture is tremendous. If culture is a central determinant of strategic behavior then a historical and global theories like "offensive realism and "neo-liberalism" are inappropriate for understanding foreign policy. Those theories claim that countries in similar strategic or institutional settings will act similarly regardless of their strategic culture. Similarly core components of current American foreign policy-the universal attraction of democracy and the utility of deterrent threats in general (to pick just two)-are misguided. Rather these factors will vary considerably in their applicability to different countries depending on their strategic culture. Despite the publication of many path-breaking books and scholarly articles on the subject of strategic culture the research in this area has not cumulated into a coherent productive field of study. The lack of culmination is often the result of authors employing often very different conceptions of strategic culture and applying them to a single case study. For instance the seminal work in this field is a study of Soviet strategic culture in key organizations as it pertains to nuclear affairs. In contrast a recent addition to the literature examines the role of deeply held national culture as it shapes broad beliefs about the efficacy of force in China.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA457324
Entities
People
- Christopher P. Twomey
- Elizbeth L. Stone
- Peter R. Lavoy
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School