Strategic culture is a controversial concept that holds many possibilities. It can be understood as the context in which strategic ideas are created. This has gotten the attention of many scholars,...Show moreStrategic culture is a controversial concept that holds many possibilities. It can be understood as the context in which strategic ideas are created. This has gotten the attention of many scholars, who have applied strategic culture to understand the behaviors and policy choices of nations. However, strategic culture can be applied to more than just nations, such as organizations. U.S. Navy strategic culture is the focus of this thesis. The U.S. Navy has a unique and rich strategic culture that is rooted in history and shared experiences. As a result, Navy strategic culture can be used to interpret defense policy decisions in order to understand them from a new perspective. This thesis uses historical contextualism and Colin Gray’s understanding of strategic culture to analyze how the Navy interpreted the demands of the National Security Strategy of 1991 and repackaged them into the strategic document ...From the Sea. Two key findings can be established from a Navy strategic culture interpretation of the National Security Strategy. Firstly, U.S. Navy strategic culture interpreted the National Security Strategy’s focus on regional threats as a change in the maritime domain. This signaled the Navy to shift its focus from open ocean warfighting to littoral operations. Secondly, U.S. Navy strategic culture responded to the demand for a forward presence in regions by expanding its commitment to being an expeditionary force.Show less
Amidst rising global tensions, astute political analysis is as crucial as ever. This analysis can often be clouded by biases and falsehoods - within analysis of the Middle East this often comes in...Show moreAmidst rising global tensions, astute political analysis is as crucial as ever. This analysis can often be clouded by biases and falsehoods - within analysis of the Middle East this often comes in the form of Orientalism. This study shall demonstrate that Orientalism is extant within the academic field of strategic culture with regards to Iran, thus bringing into question the validity of this academia, and furthermore strategic culture as a concept.Show less
In 2011 Libya is torn apart by civil unrest in the form of an uprising against the Gadhafi regime. The European powers are divided over the course they have to take. A unified European response is...Show moreIn 2011 Libya is torn apart by civil unrest in the form of an uprising against the Gadhafi regime. The European powers are divided over the course they have to take. A unified European response is also hindered by the different mandates the European governments have regarding the use of force. This thesis seeks to find the reasons why the European states diverged over a case in which they had a common interest in the ‘Responsibility to Protect’. For this explanation, this thesis will focus on the political- and strategic cultures of France, United Kingdom and Germany and the way they influence the parliamentary debates.Show less
Due to the increasing security issues recently developed in and outside the EU a common transnational answer to these issues is needed. In June 2016 an answer was provided in the form of the...Show moreDue to the increasing security issues recently developed in and outside the EU a common transnational answer to these issues is needed. In June 2016 an answer was provided in the form of the European Global Strategy but is this the real answer for European collaboration in security? Is any real common EU strategy even possible without a common strategic culture that provides the context wherein policy choices are made? This thesis topic has relevance within the scientific debate around the possibility of an EU that serves as a security provider, particularly in the current era characterized by (home grown) terrorism, destabilized neighbouring regions and rising populism. This thesis researches the evaluation (if any) of a European strategic culture by the analysis of the main strategic EU documents, namely the European Security Strategy (ESS), the European Global Strategy (EUGS) and its related key policy documents. These documents lay out the plans for EU security and defence collaboration but do they incite the formation of a strategic culture? The presented strategic documents are researched and compared using document analysis on the basis of Biava, Herd and Drent’s provided Strategic Culture analytical framework. This document analysis will help to place the conducted expert interviews (n=9) that sketch the drafting process of the ESS and EUGS in perspective. These interviews are conducted with in particular Dutch experts in the field divided through two main branches: Policy Making (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, EU) and Think Thank.Show less
