What is Strategic Culture? and Does India has a Strategic Culture?

 

While understanding one country's behaviour or moves in International Dimensions, a critical term, ' Strategic culture' comes forward. But what is Strategy Culture? and what is its relevance in the present scenario?

As we all know Culture refers to a set of beliefs, values and symbols that have been developed and handed over to the next generation in history. Strategic Culture is a set of same in the context of state behaviour in the matter considered strategic.

Jack Synder was the first person who proposed the concept of Strategic Culture. According to Kanti Bajpai Strategic culture consist of two parts that is 1) a Centre strategic paradigm and 2) a Grand strategy which follows.

Whether India has a Strategic Culture?

Geroge Tanham in his essay "India Strategic Thought" points out that India lacks formal and strategic planning and hence doesn't have a Strategic Culture. He argued the reasons for the same are 1) Its cultural diversity 2) its historical legacy; and 3) the Non-alignment policy.

In counter, to his argument, many Indian strategic thinkers believe India does have a strategic culture. Taking inspiration from Kautilya's Arthashastra, which consists of protective measures that a pragmatic ruler has to follow.

Our current External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar also points out in his book The India Way that India derives a rich Strategic culture from Mahabharata, he finds Mahabharata as a vivid distillation of India's statecraft. Which talks about tactical compromises, Balance of Power, Diplomacy and Alliances

Therefore to conclude India has a rich and long history of strategic planning.