Convergence Towards a European Strategic Culture? A Constructivist Framework for Explaining Changing Norms

Abstract

The article contributes to the debate about the emergence of a European strategic culture to underpin a European Security and Defence Policy. Noting both conceptual and empirical weaknesses in the literature, the article disaggregates the concept of strategic culture and focuses on four types of norms concerning the means and ends for the use of force. The study argues that national strategic cultures are less resistant to change than commonly thought and that they have been subject to three types of learning pressures since 1989: changing threat perceptions, institutional socialization, and mediatized crisis learning. The combined effect of these mechanisms would be a process of convergence with regard to strategic norms prevalent in current EU countries. If the outlined hypotheses can be substantiated by further research the implications for ESDP are positive, especially if the EU acts cautiously in those cases which involve norms that are not yet sufficiently shared across countries.

Dimensions and Mechanisms of the Europeanization of Member State Foreign Policy: State of the Art and New Research Avenues

“…Indeed, a number of empirical studies (e.g., Meyer 2005;Tonra 2001) have argued that these EU-level institutions have the ability to socialize their agents. Particularly the emergence of and adaptation to common procedural norms,…”

Strateska kultura u Evropi - kako promene u strukturi medjunarodnog sistema uticu na ideacione faktore legitimiteta za upotrebu sile u medjunarodnim odnosima

“…У складу са тим, стратешка култура је у директној (детерминистичкој) вези са спољнополитичким понашањем, те она обликује контекст за понашање, али је и конституент тог понашања држава. 16 Други приступ, који предводи Алистер Иан Џонстон, критикује "механички детерминизам" када је у питању веза стратешке културе и понашања. Они сматрају да се стратешка култура може посматрати као независна или интервенишућа варијабла, а понашање као зависна, тврдећи да је то једини могући начин да се емпиријски потврди тачност хипотеза које се заснивају на овом концепту.…”

“…Погледати: Jack L. Snyder, The Soviet Strategic Culture -Implications for Limited Nuclear Operations, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, 1977, p. 8. 16 Colin S. Gray, "Strategic culture as context: the first generation of theory strikes back", Review of International Studies, 25:1, 1999, p. 50 17 Џонстон тврди да се стратешка култура састоји од низа претпоставки о "улози рата у људском деловању" и о "ефикасности употребе силе", као и да се јавља у облику "ограничених, хијерархијски поређаних великостратешких приоритета који имају првенство у односу на активности које су заједничке за сваки предмет анализе и које су постојане у времену" у: Asle Toje, "Strateška kultura kao analitički alat -istorija, mogućnosti, geopolitika i vrednosti: primer EU", Bezbednost Zapadnog Balkana, broj 14, juli-septembar 2009, str. 7.…”

Lacunae in the Study of Culture in International Security

“…The review above highlighted the proliferation of articles on a legalistic and less aggressive strategic culture in various European states. 54 However, when the expectations of that literature are compared to what is actually occurring in defence policy (rather than pundits' rhetoric) in these states, the behaviour is found to be significantly consistent with structural realism:…”

“…For instance, Matlary and Meyer in separate articles suggest that an emerging European-wide strategic culture will in general be predisposed against the use of force and in favour of multilateralism. 29 Legro charts the change in American views regarding international involvement more generally. 30 Others compare the evolution of Canadian and Australian views on these issues.…”