Poker, Blackjack, Rummy, and War: The Face of American Strategic Culture.

摘要

The concept of strategic culture is a useful tool for better understanding the behavior of nation states. Strategy has many dimensions, one of which is culture. Understanding a nation's strategic culture is important because it helps to explain core questions about the roots of, and influences upon, strategic behavior. The American strategic culture is an amalgam of beliefs, values, ideas, attitudes, habits, patterns, and preferences of behavior that, over time, has created a distinctive national strategic style. Because of the importance of culture, one can ask the question, what does the American strategic culture tell others about U.S. behavior. Perhaps, more importantly, one should also ask, what might a potential adversary think and how might he or she act because of America's strategic culture. This paper examines contemporary American strategic culture and makes recommendations for future policy considerations in light of how adversaries might view American strategic culture.