Culture and Security: Symbolic Power and the Politics of International Security (New International Relations)

This book examines the role of culture in contemporary security policies, providing a critical overview of the ways in which culture has been theorized in security studies. Developing a theoretical framework that stresses the relationship between culture, power, security and strategy, the volume argues that cultural practices have been central to transformations in European and US security policy in the wake of the Cold War – including the evolution of NATO and the expansion of the EU. Michael C. Williams maintains that cultural practices continue to play powerful roles in international politics today, where they are essential to grasping the ascendance of neoconservatism in US foreign policy. Investigating the rise in popularity of culture and constructivism in security studies in relation to the structure and exercise of power in post-Cold War security relations, the book contends that this poses significant challenges for considering the connection between analytic and political practices, and the relationship between scholarship and power in the construction of security relations. Culture and Security will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of international relations, security studies and European politics. "In this volume Michael Williams examines the role of culture in contemporary security policies, and provides a critical overview of the ways in which culture has been theorized in security studies. This book offers key insights into contemporary security politics and transatlantic relations, and will be of interest to students and researchers in the fields of international relations, security studies, and European politics."--BOOK JACKET. Social Sciences Book Cover 1 Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 Series editor鈥檚 preface 9 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction 14 1 Culture, strategy, and security: Recasting an historical relationship 21 2 Cultural strategies 35 3 The discipline of the democratic peace: Kant, liberalism, and symbolic power 55 4 From alliance to security community NATO 75 5 Culture wars 105 Conclusion 133 Notes 145 Bibliography 161 Index 178