This comparative case study examines alliance memberships’ impact on two states’ strategic culture. It focuses on changes in Danish and Norwegian strategic culture during 2008-2012, examining if and how NATO membership and specifically NATO's 2010 strategic concept impacted potential changes in the states’ strategic culture. The dependent variable, strategic culture, is broken down into three sub-beliefs used to identify relevant content in the analysed material. Using national defence white papers published before and after the strategic concept as material, a qualitative content analysis is then conducted to identify changes to the sub- beliefs before and after the release of the strategic concept. The sub-beliefs are also used to analyse the 2010 strategic concept to identify themes, which are then compared to changes in strategic culture found before and after the release of the concept. The analysis found that after the release of the concept all three of the Norwegian sub-beliefs changed in several ways that were consistent with the main themes identified in the concept, as well as using the concept as justification for changes and prioritisations in policies. Based on this the thesis makes the claim that the strategic concept likely impacted Norwegian strategic culture in several ways. While Danish sub-beliefs did change in some areas that were consistent with themes in the strategic concept, the changes were not conclusive enough to make the claim that the strategic concept had any meaningful impact on Danish strategic culture.

The study of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) has been dominated by various mainstream theories drawn from International Relations and European Studies. These have largely neglected the role of ideas, beliefs, values and practices regarding the use of police and military instruments, in other words, the strategic culture which shapes the security and defence policies of the European Union (EU). This strategic culture of the EU has become manifest in the way ESDP officials think about the deployment of military and police resources as well as in the way they plan ESDP missions. After introducing the concept in general terms, the thesis claims that the notion of strategic culture can be applied to the EU. Various innovative models of categorisationa re provided throughout the thesis in order to describe the state of development of EU strategic culture. An analysis of the development of the strategic culture of the EU is provided since the end of the Cold War up to the year 2007. Important developments such as the institutionalisation of ESDP and the establishment of influential policy networks are considered in detail. The study also takes into account the discourse of ESDP and questions the ideas that stem from it through interviews and questionnaires with ESDP officials. A cases tudy of the police and military missions of the EU in Bosnia Herzegovina is included in order to show how ideas regarding the use of force impact on the implementation of EU missions. In conclusion, the thesis claims that the EU has its own strategic culture which is characterised by a number of behavioural/structural elements as well as by certain ideas, values, beliefs and practices.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / There has been much speculation and editorializing over the deterioration of trans-Atlantic relations, specifically between the United States and Germany, primarily as a result of the US-led war against Iraq beginning in March 2003. What can account for this so-called trans-Atlantic rift and the unhealthy US-German relationship of late? This thesis argues that this deterioration in trans-Atlantic relations stems from a profound misunderstanding of strategic culture. Specifically, this thesis takes the position that a failure to appropriately understand what Germany's unique strategic culture has been a leading cause of the present uncomfortable relationship between the United States and Germany. This thesis shows how a nation's values, beliefs, and preconceptions, can have a powerful influence upon foreign and security policy decisions. It highlights the importance of strategic culture as an important influence upon a nation's efforts to transform its armed forces. This thesis includes an examination of the various definitions and theories surrounding strategic culture and its impact upon the policy making process. It explores German defense reform since the end of the Cold War, and includes a look at how these issues have influenced German military transformation efforts since 1990. This case study concludes with a look at the current challenges facing German defense transformation, and makes observations about how a better understanding of Germany's national security culture can contribute to improved US-German and trans- Atlantic relations. / Major, United States Army

A tese analisa o pensamento dos militares sobre a Amazônia brasileira e a escolha das estratégias das Forças Armadas para defender a região, dando uma especial atenção às modalidades de sua presença na área. A pesquisa mostra que a identificação da Amazônia como prioridade estratégica das Forças Armadas não se deve apenas a uma reconfiguração dos interesses estatais em matéria de segurança e defesa. A importância atribuída à região amazônica pelos militares resulta de uma intrincada relação entre interesses e elementos simbólicos. O primeiro capítulo apresenta o debate acadêmico entre neorealistas, organizativistas e construtivistas sobre o que determina a adoção de uma doutrina militar por um Estado. O segundo capítulo analisa o discurso dos militares sobre a região amazônica e as transformações deste discurso ao longo das duas últimas décadas, dando especial atenção ao discurso do Exército. O terceiro capítulo examina a presença do Exército na Amazônia e as estratégias militares elaboradas para defendê-la. O quarto capítulo trata das percepções da Força Aérea e da Marinha sobre os problemas de Defesa Nacional na Amazônia. E o quinto capítulo aborda a percepção dos formuladores de política civis sobre a problemática amazônica e as medidas adotadas para incrementar a defesa militar da região. A principal fonte de pesquisa desta tese é a bibliografia militar, composta por discursos, entrevistas, documentos doutrinários, revistas, livros de memórias, e monografias de final de curso das Escolas de Comando e Estado- Maior das Forças Armadas. Para a elaboração desta pesquisa também foi consultada uma bibliografia acadêmica que trata das relações entre os civis e os militares no Brasil, de sociologia militar, e de relações internacionais. Ademais, foram consultados documentos parlamentares, como os anais da Câmara de Deputados e do Senado Federal, assim como os arquivos eletrônicos disponíveis na internet referentes aos partidos políticos brasileiros, aos Ministérios das Relações Exteriores, e da Defesa. / This thesis analyzes the Brazilian Armed Forces strategic thought about the Amazon and the military presence in the region. It shows that the identification of the Amazon as a strategic priority to Brazilian military is not due only to a reconfiguration of state security and defense interests. The importance given to the region by the military service derives from a framework of interests and symbolical elements. The first chapter presents the academic debate among neorealism, organization theory and constructivism about the origins of military doctrine. The second chapter analyzes the military discourse about the Amazon and its changes over the last two decades, giving special attention to the Army. The third chapter focuses the Army presence in the Amazon and the military strategies to its defense. The fourth chapter deals with the Navy and the Air Force perceptions on the Amazon security problems. The fifth chapter presents the civilian perceptions on the Amazon problem and the policies adopted in order to increase the military defense of the region. The main source of this research is the Armed Forces bibliography, which is composed by speeches, interviews, doctrinaire documents, military magazines, memory books and Military Academies degree monographies. An academic bibliography dealing with civil-military relations in Brazil, military sociology and international relations was also adopted. Besides, the thesis dealt with parliamentary documents (as the Proceeding of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Federal Senate), as well as internet electronic archives referring to political parties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of St Andrews, March 2010.

abstract: This dissertation seeks to theorize small state strategic culture with special reference to the attitude of the ASEAN states toward institutionalizing regional cooperative security architectures. The quantitative case studies show that in small states where historically rooted strategic preferences may be limited, material influences and situational considerations take precedence over ideational factors in the making of the state's strategic culture. Second, the content of small state strategic culture focuses primarily on foreign and security policy issues that originate in their neighborhood. Lastly, Small states' threat perceptions from the neighborhood over time dictate the formation of strategic culture (provocative vs. cooperative). The qualitative case studies demonstrate that small Southeast Asian states (Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia) exhibit a higher tendency for conflict. Multilateral cooperation is at best selective. Bilateral means is still the preferred policy approach when dealing with other states. This dissertation concludes with a pessimistic remark on the prospects for the development and maturation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community. At its current stage, the APSC appears to be a policy instrument created only to reinforce ASEAN's centrality in charting the region's security architecture. This is no small accomplishment in itself nonetheless. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Political Science 2011

A tese analisa o pensamento dos militares sobre a Amazônia brasileira e a escolha das estratégias das Forças Armadas para defender a região, dando uma especial atenção às modalidades de sua presença na área. A pesquisa mostra que a identificação da Amazônia como prioridade estratégica das Forças Armadas não se deve apenas a uma reconfiguração dos interesses estatais em matéria de segurança e defesa. A importância atribuída à região amazônica pelos militares resulta de uma intrincada relação entre interesses e elementos simbólicos. O primeiro capítulo apresenta o debate acadêmico entre neorealistas, organizativistas e construtivistas sobre o que determina a adoção de uma doutrina militar por um Estado. O segundo capítulo analisa o discurso dos militares sobre a região amazônica e as transformações deste discurso ao longo das duas últimas décadas, dando especial atenção ao discurso do Exército. O terceiro capítulo examina a presença do Exército na Amazônia e as estratégias militares elaboradas para defendê-la. O quarto capítulo trata das percepções da Força Aérea e da Marinha sobre os problemas de Defesa Nacional na Amazônia. E o quinto capítulo aborda a percepção dos formuladores de política civis sobre a problemática amazônica e as medidas adotadas para incrementar a defesa militar da região. A principal fonte de pesquisa desta tese é a bibliografia militar, composta por discursos, entrevistas, documentos doutrinários, revistas, livros de memórias, e monografias de final de curso das Escolas de Comando e Estado- Maior das Forças Armadas. Para a elaboração desta pesquisa também foi consultada uma bibliografia acadêmica que trata das relações entre os civis e os militares no Brasil, de sociologia militar, e de relações internacionais. Ademais, foram consultados documentos parlamentares, como os anais da Câmara de Deputados e do Senado Federal, assim como os arquivos eletrônicos disponíveis na internet referentes aos partidos políticos brasileiros, aos Ministérios das Relações Exteriores, e da Defesa. / This thesis analyzes the Brazilian Armed Forces strategic thought about the Amazon and the military presence in the region. It shows that the identification of the Amazon as a strategic priority to Brazilian military is not due only to a reconfiguration of state security and defense interests. The importance given to the region by the military service derives from a framework of interests and symbolical elements. The first chapter presents the academic debate among neorealism, organization theory and constructivism about the origins of military doctrine. The second chapter analyzes the military discourse about the Amazon and its changes over the last two decades, giving special attention to the Army. The third chapter focuses the Army presence in the Amazon and the military strategies to its defense. The fourth chapter deals with the Navy and the Air Force perceptions on the Amazon security problems. The fifth chapter presents the civilian perceptions on the Amazon problem and the policies adopted in order to increase the military defense of the region. The main source of this research is the Armed Forces bibliography, which is composed by speeches, interviews, doctrinaire documents, military magazines, memory books and Military Academies degree monographies. An academic bibliography dealing with civil-military relations in Brazil, military sociology and international relations was also adopted. Besides, the thesis dealt with parliamentary documents (as the Proceeding of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Federal Senate), as well as internet electronic archives referring to political parties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.

One of the most surprising aspects of the renaissance of scholarly interest in culture has been the emerging consensus in national security policy studies that culture effects significantly grand strategy and state behaviour. Therefore, the paper tries to advance rigorous procedures for testing for the existence and influence of security and strategic culture of different national states. It builds mainly on the definition of Alastair I. Johnston (1995) and Jeffrey S. Lantis (2002), who relate security and strategic culture with the definition of main goals/objectives of the state in security affairs and with ways of achieving them. As a case study, the paper will evaluate the approaches of the United States and France towards security threats in the early 21st century, especially towards the threat of global terrorism. It will assess whether and why when achieving security objectives, defined at the highest political level, persuasive or coercive strategy and military or non-military tools were preferred; whether negotiations, diplomacy and political pressure were favoured, or whether it was rather opted for deployment of armed forces and warfare. The text attempts to show how the differences in security and strategic culture, American and French particular identities, values, norms and perceptive lens might lead to different understandings of terrorism as global security threat and to distinct measures taken in the fight against it.

The text analyzes the reaction of the Russian Federation over the Ukrainian crisis and simultaneously confronts internal sources and causes of these reactions with own mental model and security and strategic culture of the Russian Federation. Given the application of theoretical and methodological concept, the work is divided into three chapters in order to acheive stated goals. The first chapter deals with the security paradigm of the Russian Federation. In this section, the main goal is to point out the fundamental historical factors that influenced the transformation of the security order in Eastern Europe and the implications of these factors on the foreign policy of the Russian Federation. The second chapter is focused on the reactions of the Russian state, which are examined in detail in terms of approaches and positions over the Ukrainian crisis. The third chapter agruse over the elements of hard and soft power, and determine cooperative or conflictual mental model along the lines of political and economic responses to the Ukrainian crisis.

The thesis examines altering of Israeli strategic subcultures and their influence on strategic decision-making. It expands the body of literature on strategic culture. The strategic culture influences the decisions regarding when, if and how to use force. The three cases in this thesis encompass strategic decision-making in regard to Iran, Hezbollah and the Syrian civil war. The strategic culture takes a form of particular strategic subculture, which expresses a preference for a particular kind of strategic behaviour. Israeli strategic culture is examined thoroughly throughout its history in the context of strategic culture. The strategic culture and its aspects are described on the background of evolving "national security doctrine." The changes in the strategic culture are correlated with the shifts in the strategic environment and with the evolution of new military technologies and strategies of waging war.