Lacunae in the Study of Culture in International Security
Abstract
In the decade before the invasion of Iraq, the most important concepts in security
studies for an American policy audience were the revolution in military affairs and
transformation. Primarily due to the failures of that war and in Afghanistan and
broader problems in the Middle East, culture has replaced these in the attentions of
policymakers. Washington has been smitten by the idea that deeper understanding
of cultural issues can reduce policy failures and advance national interests. This manifests
most clearly in a range of recent policy documents from the Pentagon. Its recent
Quadrennial Defense Review introduces a two-page section on the topic by arguing,
‘Developing broader linguistic capability and cultural understanding is also critical to
prevail in the long war and to meet 21st century challenges.’1 The document mentions
the importance of ‘cultural’ awareness a stunning 18 times. Consequently, the United
States military has moved to increase its support for regional specialists in uniform
(‘foreign area officers’ and their brethren), increased its support for language training,
and is reaching out widely for academic expertise.
Description
The article of record as published may be located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13523260802284324
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
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