National Security Strategy Comparison

Mid-Term Essay – Compare/Contrast European Security Strategy (ESS) with US National Security Strategy (NSS) By James E. McDonald Regional/Cultural Studies Lesson 03 24 Mar 2013 Instructor: Col (ret) Frank Belote Air Command and Staff College Distance Learning Maxwell AFB, AL The Security Strategy of the United States has marked similarities and differences to the Security Strategy of Europe. This can be effectively traced to the similarities and differences between the two cultures themselves, particularly in the cultural factors of religion, modernization, ethnicity/nationalism, and geography.
The US and Europe have different responses to the modernization of warfare from traditional (ships, armies, tanks, aircraft) to “asymmetrical” (terrorism, cyber-warfare), largely from differences in geography: With the notable exceptions of Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center, our enemy threat has been thousands of miles away, while Europe has seen two bloody “world wars” and acts of terror committed right on home soil.
However, for the purposes of this paper, I will focus on religion and ethnicity/nationalism, and how these two factors affect strategic culture. Culture is important. It defines what’s important to a group, or nation. It emerges in stated doctrine, laws, strategy. It defines who we ARE. There are common views, interests, priorities, and verbiage in both Security Strategic documents. Major powers are at peace. The world economy has grown; globalism is increasingly important. We must reduce dependency on foreign energy.

We have a commitment to alliance with each other (US and Europe) via NATO (Obama, 2010, 1-9) (European Security Strategy, 2003, 2-14). NATO has made a strong tie between the US and Europe since it was created to contain the Soviets, integrating Europe and the United States politically and militarily (Friedman, 2011, 1). In fact, “For any kind of military planning and operations with regard to Russia, the Europeans will prefer to act through NATO rather than the EU. ” (Valesek, 2008, 1)
In contrast to the above commonalities, the United States document, while acknowledging that “no one nation—no matter how powerful—can meet global challenges alone”, repeatedly shows glimpses of “Nationalist” overtones with statements such as, “Our country possesses the attributes that have supported our leadership for decades—sturdy alliances, an unmatched military, the world’s largest economy, a strong and evolving democracy, and a dynamic citizenry. ” (Obama, 2010, 1-9). The European document, on the other hand, openly and repeatedly calls for “Unification” and “Cooperation” (European Security Strategy, 2003, 1-8).
The United States can draw from European religious history and ethnic origin, which gives it some cultural similarities. At the same time, the birth of our nation was so much more recent, and so dramatically different from the beginning of European history, that it’s no wonder there are fundamental differences in culture. Even before the Declaration of Independence (“God” and “truth” referenced) or the US Constitution were drafted (“freedom of religion”), early America was rooted in Christianity. The first Pilgrims fled religious persecution in Europe.
Christian doctrine has been quoted in speeches given by American leaders from the beginning (Governor John Walthrop, Massachusetts Governor, 1630), to recent/present-day Presidents (Reagan, GW Bush, Obama), The United States has been referred to as something “different”, a shining example all the world to see and emulate, a “city on a hill”. (Walthrop, 1630, 1). America, from its beginnings to today, while welcoming diversity, continues to be a predominately Christian culture, allowing for religious overtones in national documents (mostly visible through reference to “values”, and “truth”).
Europe on the other hand, in its challenge to unify the 27 countries that form the European Union (Rosenberg, 2011, 1), must tread lightly so as not to alienate or anger any portion of the contemporary combination of Christian, Muslim, and “Secular” cultures (Rubenstein, 2011, 1). Both the US and Europe are ethnically and racially diverse. Many marvel at the ability to retain direction and focus in the face of such diversity. Early America molded immigrants into a “melting pot”, mixing historical roots into a soup that became distinctly “American”.
Nowadays, the preference is to hold on to ethnic differences and describe the result as a “mosaic” or “salad bowl” – separate pieces that, when viewed as a whole, create a larger picture (Branigin, 1998). In spite of this recent shift to retain ethnic individuality, America seems to successfully categorize this into its frontiersman “rugged individualist” mentality, yet in shunning division along racial lines, manages to successfully embrace all groups into a sense of singular “nationalism”.
Europe on the other hand, struggles to balance 27 nations, each with their own sense of nationalism, without giving significant preference to any one culture. The ultimate impact of these religious and ethnic/nationalistic differences is that, yes, the US National Security Strategy reads differently than the European Security Strategy. The variance in background results in different wording and stance, different reasons for why we do what we do, and the desired result. This can cause misunderstanding, and even distrust between these two great entities.
However, it’s important to conclude that overall, we BOTH have the same ultimate intent: a continued commitment to trans-atlantic relationship, globalized economy, reduced dependency on foreign energy, and, most importantly, peace and security to our world (Obama, 2010, 1-9) (European Security Strategy, 2003, 2-14). In conclusion, many world researchers (including Samuel P Huntington in his map of “The World of Civilizations”), when identifying cultural categories in the world, group the US, Canada, Greenland, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand as “the West” (Huntington, 1997, 26).
Due to the emphasis on strong religious roots, belief in right, manifest destiny, and ethnic diversity in the United States, our stated objectives and self-identified role in the world is unique. However, overall, European – US strategy and culture are not so remarkably different. BIBLIOGRAPHY Branigin, William, “The Myth of the Melting Pot: America’s Racial and Ethnic Divides. Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation” (Washington, DC: Washington Post, 25 May 1998), http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-srv/national/longterm/meltingpot/melt0525a. htm
European Security Strategy, A Secure Europe in a Better World, (Brussels, 12 December 2003), 2-14 Friedman, George, “The Crisis of Europe and European Nationalism” (Austin, TX: StratFor Global Intelligence, 13 September 2011), 1, http://www. stratfor. com/weekly/20110912-crisis-europe-and-european-nationalism Huntington, Samuel P. , “The World of Civilizations” The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (New York, NY: Touchstone, 1997), 26-27 Obama, Barack, National Security Strategy (Washington, DC: Whitehouse Archives, 2010), 1-9
Rosenberg, Matt, “European Union Countries” (About. com, 09 December 2011), 1, http://geography. about. com/od/lists/a/eumembers. htm Rubenstein, Richard L. , “Islam and Christianity: The Roots of Europe’s Religious Identity” (New English Review, December 2011), 1, http://www. newenglishreview. org/custpage. cfm/frm/102790/sec_id/102790 Valesek, Tomas, “Europe’s Defence and its New Security Strategy” (Center for European Reform Bulletin: London, England, Dec 2007-Jan 2008), 1, http://gees. org/documentos/Documen-02705. pdf Walthrop, John, “Modell of Christian Charity” (Massachusetts, 1630), 1,