Think Tanks and the National Security Strategy Formulation Process: A Comparisonof Current American and French Patterns

摘要

The research organizations known as 'Think Tanks' are considered as specific ofthe American policy making process, even if somehow equivalent institutions can be found in France. The policy making processes are different in these two countries. The essay analyses first how these processes produce national security strategy formulations, in the case of the 1994 Presidential report to the Congress on one hand, and the 'Livre Blanc' on Defense on the other hand, issued by the U.S. and French executives respectively in July and March 1994. Then, the specific input of Think Tanks in these processes is assessed, and analyzed according to the main characteristics of these organizations, in the U.S. and in France. Finally, the comparison of the two nations patterns shows that the interaction of Think Tanks in the policy-making process is essentially dependent on the specific ways of making policy, reflecting different systems of government, on both sides of the ocean.