Assessing Greek grand strategic thought and practice : insights from the strategic culture approach

Ladis, Nikolaos (2003) Assessing Greek grand strategic thought and practice : insights from the strategic culture approach. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

This thesis uses a ‘strategic culture approach’ to gain insights into Greece’s grand strategic thought and practice. The strategic culture approach refers to the study of groups and the diachronic beliefs and values that underpin their interaction with their strategic environment. It touches upon ideas and concepts that the Cold War constraints managed to keep dormant but have renewed resonance in the new post Cold War international environment.

While, this thesis acknowledges the existence of the problems that dog strategic culture analysis, it seeks to employ the approach despite of them. It does so because strategic culture can offer invaluable insights into Greece’s grand strategy by venturing into the realm of ideational factors, largely ignored by mainstream international relations theories.

Hence, the theoretical aim of this research is to review the various ways strategic culture has been approached within the international relations’ literature and to evaluate the possible advantages of conducting strategic culture research. As such, the desired outcome is not the formulation of law-like hypotheses that adhere to strict positivist criteria but the enhancement of our understanding of the issues at hand.

More specifically, this thesis seeks to offer an understanding of Greece’s grand strategic thought and practice by examining the country’s strategic culture sources: geography and resources, history and experience and political culture. After analysing these sources four major issues emerge: a) the persistent influence of a Greek national identity, b) the existence of two schools of thought that have historically defined the course of Greek society and consequently its grand strategic thought and practice, c) the intricate nature of Greece’s political culture and d) the fourth and final issue questions the impact of all of the above for the development of Greece’s grand strategic thought and practice.

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