Topic 16 Strategic Culture, Determinants of Pakistani Strategic Culture

Topic 16
Strategic Culture, Determinants of Pakistani Strategic Culture.
1) Introduction
a. ëStrategic culture can be defined as a set of beliefs, attitudes and
norms towards the use of military forceí, often moulded
according to historical experience
b. It serves as a screen through which the policymakers observe
the dynamics of the external security environment, interpret
the available in formation and decide about the policy options
in a given situation.
c. Determine the role and efficacy of military force in
interstate political affairs
d. Strategic culture is a useful concept for explaining the profile and
behavior of the security policymakers of a state.
e. It conditions their worldview, interpretation of political and
military developments, perception of the adversary, and selection
of policy options.
2) Influencing factors for Pakistanís Security Managers
a. historical experiences, especially in the early years of
independence
b. their perception of the regional security environment and
c. Pakistanís security handicaps, and their threat perceptions.
3) Features of Pakistanís Strategic Culture
a. An acute insecurity developed in the early years of
independence due to troubled relations with India and
problems with Afghanistan.
b. A strong distrust of India and a history of acrimonious Indo-
Pakistani relations reinforced by the historical narratives of the
pre-independence period and the troubled bilateral interaction in
the post-independence period.
c. Aversion to an India-dominated regional power arrangement for
South Asia.
d. An active search for security to maintain its independence in
deciding about foreign policy options and domestic policies.
e. A close nexus between Islam and strategic thinking, leading to
connections between Islamic militancy and foreign policy.
4) Determinants of Pakistanís Strategic Culture
a. an advocacy of a pluralist power arrangement for South Asia
b. greater attention to external security
c. acquisition of military capacity to raise the cost of war for the
adversary
d. liberal allocation of resources to defense
e. weapons procurement from abroad
f. the use of diplomacy and alliance-building with other states,
especially with the United States, for strengthening its position in
the region
g. the acquisition of an overt nuclear status in response to Indiaís
nuclear explosions
h. the use of Islamic militancy to pursue foreign policy goals.
5) Role of Other Factors in the formulation of Strategic Culture
a. Realism, Professionalism and organizational imperatives
b. As a professional and disciplined institution, the Pakistani
military cannot be oblivious to realities on the ground.
c. Realism and organizational imperatives have influenced
their outlook and decisions on many occasions.
d. At times, the dictates of different approaches conflict with each
other and the policymakers may be unwilling or unable to make a
clear-cut choice. This is the case with the approach of Pakistanís
security managers towards the militant Islamic groups in the post-
9/11 period.
6) Significance of Strategic Culture
a. The strategic culture approach helps us understand the historical
and psychological dynamics of decisionmaking.
b. It highlights the impact of ideological and other societal variables
on policymaking
c. It offers a better understanding of the socio-cultural and
political context within which the policymakers function.
d. Any study of a stateís strategic profile and the possible reaction to
security pressures requires, inter alia, a good appreciation of the
strategic culture of the country concerned.
e. This facilitates communication between the security
policymakers and the outside actors, i.e., individuals, states,
and organizations, on security-related issues and helps to
identify ways and means to change their policy outputs.
f. This is quite important for promoting arms control in conventional
and nonconventional fields.
7) Conclusion

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