ENGLISH

Strategic Culture and Ways of War: An Historical Overview (Cass Military Studies)

By Lawrence Sondhaus

Book information

Year
2006
ISBN
0415702143, 9780415702140, 9780203968581
Open Library ID
OL22732799M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
831 kB (850771 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
160\161
Topic
History
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

A much-needed survey and synopsis of literature on strategic culture and ways of war. It clearly shows how national strategies and approaches to warfare are, to a significant extent, culturally determined. The concept of national ‘ways of war’ dates from the 1930s, when Basil H. Liddell Hart theorized that there was a ‘British Way in Warfare’. The concept of "strategic culture" dates from the 1970s, when Jack Snyder introduced it to explain why leaders of the Soviet Union did not behave according to rational choice theory. These ideas have gained wide acceptance among historians of international politics and warfare, and remain controversial for political scientists seeking general or universal theoretical understanding of such subjects.  Because political scientists have focused on strategic culture and historians on ways of war, this work will greatly benefit both audiences and provide each with valuable exposure to the ideas of the other.

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