This handbook offers a collection of cutting-edge essays on all aspects of strategic culture by a mix of international scholars, consultants, military officers, and policymakers.
The volume explicitly addresses the analytical conundrums faced by scholars who wish to employ or generate strategic cultural insights, with substantive commentary on defining and scoping strategic culture, analytic frameworks and approaches, levels of analysis, sources of strategic culture, and modalities of change in strategic culture. The chapters engage strategic culture at the civilizational, regional, supra-national, national, non-state actor, and organizational levels. The volume is divided into five thematic parts, which will appeal to both students who are new to the subject and scholars who wish to incorporate strategic culture into their toolbox of analytical techniques. Part I assesses the evolving theoretical strengths and weaknesses of the field. Part II lays out elements of the theoretical and methodological foundations of the field, including sources and components of strategic culture. Part III presents a number of national strategic cultural profiles, representing the state of contemporary strategic culture scholarship. Part IV addresses the utility of strategic culture for practitioners and scholars. Part V summarizes the key theoretical and practical insights offered by the volume’s contributors.
This handbook will be of much interest to students of strategic studies, defense studies, security studies, and international relations in general, as well as to professional practitioners.
Foreword Part I: Evolution of the Strategic Culture Paradigm 1. Defining and Scoping Strategic Culture: Promises, Challenges, and Conundrums 2. The Conceptual Heritage of Strategic Culture and Collective Mentality 3. Growth and Refinement Across the Field of Strategic Culture: From First Generation to Fourth 4. The Nature and Utility of Strategic Culture Scholarship Part II: Dimensions and Levels of Strategic Culture 5. Religion and Strategic Culture 6. Political and Strategic Cultures: Linkages, Continuity, and Change in the Longue Durée 7. The United States and NATO: Is there a Western Strategic Culture? 8. Nature, Emergence, and Limitations of an EU Strategic Culture 9. In Defense of the National Profile: Strategic Culture Then and Now 10. Strategic Culture at the Non-State Actor Level Part III: State of the Scholarship: National Strategic Culture Resources 11. American Strategic Culture in the Era of Great Power Competition 12. Russian Strategic Culture: A Critical Survey of the Literature 13. China’s Identity through a Historical Lens 14. The Strategic Culture of the United Kingdom 15. French Strategic Culture: International Engagement in the Name of National Autonomy 16. Swedish Exceptionalism and Strategic Culture: Swedish Nuclear Decisionmaking 17. The Strategic Culture of the Federal Republic of Germany 18. Reinterpreting the (Relatively) Immutable Features of the North Korean Strategic Culture 19. The Strategic Culture of South Korea 20. Japan’s Strategic Culture: An Interpretation of Identity 21. Examining the Strategic Culture of Singapore: Lion City, Poison Shrimp 22. Indian Strategic Culture: A Review Essay 23. Pakistan’s Military-Centric Strategic Culture: A Review Essay 24. An Iranian Worldview: The Strategic Culture of the Islamic Republic 25. Israeli Strategic Culture: State of the Scholarship 26. Turkey’s Strategic Culture: State of the Literature 27. Understanding Nigeria’s Strategic Culture 28. Venezuelan Strategic Culture: Balancing History with Twenty-First Century Socialism Part IV: The Utility of Strategic Culture for Practitioners and Scholars 29. Strategic Culture Scholarship: A User’s Guide to the Cultural Topography Methodology 30. Strategic Culture and Tailored Deterrence 31. Strategic Culture and the US Intelligence Community 32. The Impact of US Intelligence Community Strategic Culture on Intelligence Analysts 33. Artificial Intelligence and Strategic Culture 34. Strategic Culture and Anticipatory Intelligence Part V: Conclusion 35. Consolidating and Enriching the Field of Strategic Culture: Key Themes and Recommendations
Kerry M. Kartchner teaches strategic culture courses for Missouri State University’s Graduate Department of Defense and Strategic Studies and for Johns Hopkins University. He is the editor/author of several books, including Crossing Nuclear Thresholds (2019), On Limited Nuclear War in the 21st Century (2014), and Strategic Culture and Weapons of Mass Destruction (2008). Briana D. Bowen is the Associate Director and Cofounder of the Center for Anticipatory Intelligence at Utah State University. Jeannie L. Johnson is the Director of Utah State University's Center for Anticipatory Intelligence and an Associate Professor within the Political Science Department. She is also the author of The Marines, Counterinsurgency, and Strategic Culture (2018).
