| ID | 069876 |
| Title Proper | Realism, culture and grand strategy |
| Other Title Information | explaining America's peculiar path to world power |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Dueck, Colin |
| Publication | 2005. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | When and why do states adopt new grand strategies? According to a "neoclassical realist" model, changes in international conditions are the chief cause of long-term adjustments in grand strategy, while domestic political-military cultures help specify the precise grand strategies chosen by state officials. What results are outcomes that appear surprising or skewed from a realist perspective. I test the neoclassical realist model against the cases of u.s. strategic adjustment in 1918-1921 as well as 1945-1948 and find that the long-term trajectory of America's rise to world power is best explained by international pressures. The precise strategies chosen in each period, however, were heavily influenced by American political-military culture. The implication is that theoretically inclusive forms of realism can provide convincing explanations for changes in grand strategy; furthermore, states can remain somewhat "differentiated" in terms of their foreign policy behavior, for cultural reasons, and in spite of international pressures to the contrary |
| `In' analytical Note | Security Studies Vol. 14, No. 2; Apr-Jun 2005: p195-231 |
| Journal Source | Security Studies Vol: 14 No 2 |
| Key Words | Realism ; Culture ; Strategy ; United States |