A comprehensive and empirically rich set of case studies that examine the impact of socio-cultural influences on multilateral arms control and security-building processes around the world.

National cultural security has become a hot topic of research in recent years. The first step of the research, like many others on national strategy, is to identify current challenges to cultural security with which China is faced. Relevant published articles in China usually assume the pattern of "e;problems plus countermeasures"e; which includes connotations of cultural security, strategic significance, roots of problems, current challenges, and approaches and countermeasures. Their titles are often generic without distinct standpoints. All of this shows that the study of cultural security is still at a primary stage where a cover-all discussion is typical. Given that the overall review about it has been gradually improved, we should move on to the identification of basic theoretical issues, which unfortunately turns out to be a bottleneck that requires a diversion from macro and overall approaches to micro and segmental observation. In fact, to reach a high-level and comprehensive solution for issues about the cultural security of China relies on an in-depth theoretical study and a detailed comprehension about specific aspects of it. For this reason, it is necessary to begin with defining national cultural security and probing into the most basic theoretical issues such issues as decisive variables, spatial dimension, inner structure, and exterior relations.

This edited volume examines changes of national security culture and the implications that this has for international security.

This book shows how one of the most powerful tools of security studies—strategic culture—illuminates the origins and implications of the Asia-Pacific region’s difficult issues, from the rise of China and the American pivot, to the shifting calculations of many other actors. Strategic culture sometimes challenges and always enriches prevailing neo-realist presumptions about the region. It provides a bridge between material and ideational explanations of state behavior and helps capture the tension between neoclassical realist and constructivist approaches. The case studies in this book survey the role of strategic culture in the behaviors of Australia, China, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and the United States. They show the contrast between structural expectations and cultural predispositions, as realist geopolitical security threats and opportunities interact with domestic elite and popular interpretation of historical narratives and distinctive political-military cultures to influence security policies. The concluding chapter devotes special attention to methodological issues at the heart of strategic cultural studies, as well as how culture may impact the potential for future conflict or cooperation in the region. The result is a body of work that helps deepen our understanding of strategic cultures in the Asia-Pacific in comparative perspective and enrich security studies. This bookw as published as a special issue of Contemporary Security Policy.

Scientific Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Politics - Topic: Peace and Conflict, Security, grade: 8.6, Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, course: International Security, language: English, abstract: Over the past few decades, political scientists have extensively pondered on the various theories that describe, suggest or reflect the nature of international security. Some are encouraging and ambitious, others firmly pessimistic, and with a few exceptions, all are often too abstract from contemporary and relevant practices and viewpoints. Such theories have too often steered away from the relevant factors needed for the establishment of international peace and security. The rise of certain doctrines, most often in the form of nationalist ideologies, have been met with the suppression of highly important elements that are used to define social groups, culture being one of them. Even though the term 'culture' can be broadly defined, in this context it is a reference to the unavoidable social diversity among the world population in terms of social norms, practices, traditions, ideologies etc. Social theorists such as constructivists would argue that the human factor is very often disregarded when creating and implementing decisions that concern multiple social groups. The issue of uncertainty is an example of the problems posed by the clash of different cultures as well as the limited research and education (social-wise) that plagues such conflicts.

With contributions from leading experts, Culture and National Security in the Americas examines the most influential historical, geographic, cultural, political, economic, and military considerations shaping national security policies throughout the Americas. In this volume, contributors explore the actors and institutions responsible for perpetuating security cultures over time and the changes and continuities in contemporary national security policies.

Strategic Culture(s) in Latin America elucidates why many state-actors in the Global South exhibit a remarkable degree of policy continuity in their external behavior despite structural incentives for change. This book contends that the theoretical notion of strategic culture is instructive to explain such a puzzle. It extends the application of strategic culture beyond the policy of nuclear deterrence among great powers into other equally strategic areas of policy, such as diplomacy, political economy, regional international institutions, legal norms, politico-military institutions, and different security agendas beyond war and peace, for example, the illicit drug-trade and peacekeeping missions. The overall contribution of this book is three-fold: first, it rescues, updates, and expands the original conceptual and theoretical dimensions of strategic culture. Second, it extrapolates further theoretical implications of the concept through its application to five policy domains in Latin America beyond the original application of the strategic culture perspective to nuclear weapons strategy among great powers in the 1970s. Third, it draws together the theoretical and policy implications of the strategic cultures in Latin America and identifies possible applications for other peripheral, non-great power policy areas and issues in the Global South. This book will be of interest to academics, graduate and undergraduate students, policy analysts, and practitioners of Latin American Studies, International Relations Theory and Security Studies.

Africa's dynamic security environment is characterized by great diversity-from conventional challenges such as insurgencies, resource and identity conflicts, and post-conflict stabilization to growing threats from piracy, narcotics trafficking, violent extremism, and organized crime taking root in urban slums, among others. This precarious environment jeopardizes security at the societal, community and individual levels. In a globalized and interconnected world, millions of people worldwide are affected by some form of human insecurity. Infectious and parasitic diseases annually kill millions. Internally displaced persons number millions, including 5 million in Sudan alone. In Zambia 1 million people in a population of 11 million are reported to be HIV-positive, a situation much worse in other countries. Potable water crisis looms almost everywhere. In this book Tatah Mentan points out the need to shift the focus away from a state-centric and military-strategic emphasis on security to an interdisciplinary and people-centric approach that embraces notions like global citizenship, empowerment and participation. The primary elements of economic, food, health, environment, personal, community and political security all comprise the broader understanding of human security in an intricately interconnected world.

This book argues that security and defense have never been true priorities in the European Union, and have constantly been marginalized by the elites since the Soviet Union collapsed and the Warsaw Pact disintegrated. Despite the official rhetoric, only a few tangible results can be presented concerning the operational readiness of European forces, and the EU’s inability to act was proven during the crises in the Balkans, NATO has experienced similar problems, as the majority of its members are EU countries. Both organizations have declared their resolve concerning the security and defense of their nations and territories, but, unfortunately, little has been done to lend these statements credence. In this context, the book analyzes several aspects of EU security and defense, including: the EU – NATO relationship, common defense policy and strategy, common capability building, common understanding of strategic changes, common operational planning and centrally synchronized exercises based on operational planning, etc. The member states have helped to make EU/NATO effective organizations, but unfortunately their individual interests and priorities constitute real challenges. This aspect should be discussed and addressed by political and military elites, scholars, analysts, students and the general public alike.

Cybersecurity is vital for all businesses, regardless of sector. With constant threats and potential online dangers, businesses must remain aware of the current research and information available to them in order to protect themselves and their employees. Maintaining tight cybersecurity can be difficult for businesses as there are so many moving parts to contend with, but remaining vigilant and having protective measures and training in place is essential for a successful company. The Research Anthology on Business Aspects of Cybersecurity considers all emerging aspects of cybersecurity in the business sector including frameworks, models, best practices, and emerging areas of interest. This comprehensive reference source is split into three sections with the first discussing audits and risk assessments that businesses can conduct to ensure the security of their systems. The second section covers training and awareness initiatives for staff that promotes a security culture. The final section discusses software and systems that can be used to secure and manage cybersecurity threats. Covering topics such as audit models, security behavior, and insider threats, it is ideal for businesses, business professionals, managers, security analysts, IT specialists, executives, academicians, researchers, computer engineers, graduate students, and practitioners.