Research Information System
in: Strategic Culture(s) in Latin America, Félix E. Martín,Nicolás Terradas,Diego Zambrano, Editor, Routledge, New York, pp.29-52, 2023
This chapter offers an overview of the origins of strategic culture
through an examination of the development of the IR subfield of Security
Studies. The penultimate section expands on the original definition of
strategic culture using insights not only from Snyder's caveats and
reflections but also ideas from strategic behavior and diverse domains
of statecraft. Scholars of the first generation expanded this discussion
into a milieu encompassing broader social and political forces while
resulting in tautological analyses. Much like Snyder's original attempt
to improve upon the limitations of the rational-actor model,
neoclassical realism seeks, among other things, to explain the
"maladaptive" policies of states although Zakaria. Strategic culture is
undeniably a promising venue for generating useful insights about
decision-making, especially when researchers are sensitive to key
principles and limitations. The strategist can, therefore, be taught
only the most general of principles to increase one's chances of
victory, but there can be no comprehensive guide to victory applicable
to every situation.