Analysing the alternation of strategic subcultures: the case of Israel

• Název práce v češtině: Analýza alternace strategických subkultur: případ Izraele
• Název v anglickém jazyce: Analysing the alternation of strategic subcultures: the case of Israel
• Klíčová slova: Izrael, strategická kultura, strategické subkultury, použití síly, konflikt
• Klíčová slova anglicky: Israel, Strategic culture, Strategic subcultures, Use of force, conflict
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2017/2018
• Typ práce: diplomová práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Katedra bezpečnostních studií (23-KBS)
• Vedoucí / školitel: PhDr. JUDr. Tomáš Karásek, Ph.D.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno vedoucím/školitelem
• Datum přihlášení: 29.06.2018
• Datum zadání: 29.06.2018
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 20.06.2019 00:00
• Místo konání obhajoby: Jinonice
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 10.05.2019
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 20.06.2019
• Oponenti: Mgr. et Mgr. Tomáš Kučera, Ph.D.

Seznam odborné literatury

References
Adamsky, Dima. “The Culture of Military Innovation.” Stanford University Press, 2010.
Karásek, Tomáš. “Tracking Shifts in Strategic Culture.” Obrana a Strategie, Vol. 2016, No. 1, January 2016.
Kober, Avi. “What Happened to Israeli Military Thought?” The Journal of Strategic Studies, Vol. 34, No. 5, October, 2011.
Libel, Tamir. “Explaining the Security Paradigm Shift: Strategic Culture, Epistemic Communities, and Israel’s Changing National Security Policy.” Defence Studies, Vol. 16, No. 2, March 2016.
Marcus, Raphael D. “Learning ‘Under Fire’: Israel’s Improvised Military Adaptation to Hamas Tunnel Warfare.” Journal of Strategic Studies, April 12, 2016.
Marcus, Raphael D. “Military Innovation and Tactical Adaptation in the Israel-Hizballah Conflict: The Institutionalization of Lesson-Learning in the IDF.” The Journal of Strategic Studies, Vol. 38, No. 4, 2015.

Předběžná náplň práce v anglickém jazyce

Univerzita Karlova

Fakulta sociálních věd

Institut politologických studií




Diploma thesis project



Analysing the alternation of strategic subcultures: the case of Israel




Name: Kryštof Houdek


Academic advisor:
JUDr. PhDr. Tomáš Karásek, Ph.D.


Study programme: Security Studies

Year of project submission: 2019



Introduction
The diploma thesis theoretical background is based in the ongoing debate over the nature of the concept of strategic culture. Strategic culture itself focuses on inter-state cultural differences as an explanatory factor, something what have been ignored by most of other theories of international relations. Most of the scholars agree, that strategic culture undergoes an evolution, which causes its alternation in time. However, the timeframe of this progress presents an opportunity for contest. The change in strategic culture is usually a slow process, in which its bearers absorb new experience and conceptualize new knowledge. Yet, in some cases a sudden reversal appears, when political elite rejects the most significant features of the previous strategic culture and adopts nearly opposite regime. Alan Bloomfield brought into this schism third alternative with his concept of strategic subcultures. Strategic subcultures are part of concept, which divides national strategic culture into number of variants, or subcultures. These subcultures are competing on the virtual battlefield of ideas. One of them is the dominant, which defines leading narrative of the course of events and it dictates strategic behaviour of the country. Other subcultures are waiting in reserve for the opportunity to assume leadership. Such opportunity presents itself through another notion of “strategic surprise.” The surprise comes in a form of security crisis, which alters the elite’s view of the world.
In the diploma thesis, strategic subcultures are connected to the concept of epistemic communities. This concept helps to mitigate the vagueness and sheds light on social mechanism of the alternation of the strategic subcultures by providing it with a concrete form and shape. Davis Cross brings strategic subcultures together with epistemic communities, defined as groups of individuals who share the same professional background. At this point she clearly distinguishes her understanding of the concept from more traditional definition of epistemic communities as groups of individuals who share the same worldview.
Tamir Libel builds up his own work about the competition of subcultures in Israel on this theoretical background. He examines four conflicts involving Israel between 1982 and 2014. Each conflict represents an international crisis, that shook the hierarchy between epistemic communities. His goal is to explain the change in Israeli security policy through thorough analysis of official documents and record of the debate. For this he uses “theory-testing process-tracing methodology,” which is trying to prove the presence of the casual mechanism in the selected case.

Research target, research question, research hypothesis
The diploma thesis plans to build on previous work of Tamir Libel and unravel the conundrum of alternation in Israeli security policy in years succeeding the end of his analysis. During this period Israel conducted several operations inside of Syria and continued to face Hamas on its southern border. Due to rapidly changing balance of power in Syria, Israel has to face new challenges, which could be identified as another international crisis. The goal of the thesis is to investigate the potential impact of this latest crisis on the competing epistemic communities. The work will seek to identify the key actors representing each community and investigate, whether the latest crisis led to any changes in the balance of power between them. The hypothesis does not expect any other major reform to be discovered. Rather, it expects some implications of change or activity with a potential to alter the current balance of power to occur. It is expected, that other subcultures do not merely “wait on the wings,” but they are actively reproducing their understanding, if not challenging the hegemonic subculture.

Literature review
As a background for the thesis serves an article of Tomáš Karásek “Tracking shifts in strategic culture.” It lays down the theoretical fundaments for the whole work. It introduces evolution of the academic debate related to the strategic culture and provides contextual understanding of the concepts used in the analysis.
The key point of departure is the Tamir Libel’s article “Explaining the security paradigm shift: strategic culture, epistemic communities, and Israel’s changing national security policy.” The thesis succeeds the article in time and it is drawing upon its methodological operationalization. The thesis seeks to draw on conclusions of the article and expand its knowledge.
Among other, less important sources, there is “The culture of military innovation” by Dima Adamsky. The book is focused on strategic culture and innovation in the military affairs. As such, it can provide meaningful insights into the nature of the problems faced by Israeli strategists.
On the similar note is also the article of Raphael Marcus “Learning ‘Under Fire’: Israel’s Improvised Military Adaptation to Hamas Tunnel Warfare” and “Military Innovation and Tactical Adaptation in the Israel-Hizballah Conflict: The Institutionalization of Lesson-Learning in the IDF.” Additionally, the first article is also focused on the latest challenge, which IDF had to cope with, and could shed a light on the processes parallel to the observed competition among the epistemic communities.
Avi Kober’s “What Happened to Israeli Military Thought?” is concerned with the flaws of overall strategic culture of the IDF. Such view is important for comparison of the theoretical approach applied by the thesis. The fundaments on which it lays, the general strategic culture should be always kept in mind. The epistemic communities representing each of the subcultures all operate in the same cultural environment and are based on shared historical background. Furthermore, Kober is directly touching one of the epistemic communities and his assessment can add significant insights into the thesis.

Conceptual and theoretical framework
The thesis departs from constructivist tradition, notably from the notion of strategic culture. Within the realm of strategic culture, the thesis focuses on its alternation, utilizing the concepts of strategic subcultures and strategic surprise. During the operational phase of the analysis, concept of epistemic communities is linked to the concept of strategic subcultures to gain measurable variable.

Empirical data and analytical technique
Empirical data are expected to consist of primary documents and records of debate. Theory-testing process-tracing methodology is going to be applied in a manner as much similar to that of Tamir Libel’s article as possible in order to maintain continuity with his conclusions. However, it seems to be clear, that his article describes already concluded reform of the Israeli security policy and it is unlikely, that a similar reform is going to take a place within the timeframe observed in this thesis. Therefore, it remains to be seen, whether simply shortened variant of the methodological process could be sufficient, or there is a need for additional adjustments into its components.

Planned thesis outline
- Introduction
- Conceptual/Theoretical framework
- Methods and data
- Empirical-analytical section
- Conclusions