Title:
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Cultural dialogue and the Western Alliance : revaluing NATO through the thought of Philip Windsor
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The aim of this thesis is to employ a specific idea of the late Philip Windsor - that of a cultural dialogue based upon the distinction between norms and values - and
apply it to NATO in a contemporary context. According to Windsor, all societies
translate their foundational values into norms: as such, a norm is a cultural expression of
a value. While some cultures share the same values, they inevitably differ in the
interpretations of those values. Thus, a cultural dialogue can take place if actors
distinguish between their shared values, and the varying 'normatisations' of those values.
Extended to NATO, although its members are united by a set of common Western
values, they often clash in their expression of those values. For example, as General Sir
Mike Jackson claimed, 'We must fight with the Americans but not as the Americans'.
Why with the Americans? Because of these shared values. Why not as the Americans?
Because Britons and Americans fight wars differently, and these differing ways of warfare
are in accordance with different norms. Yet as this thesis argues, if NATO members
engage in a dialogue which recognises this distinction, they can dynamically contribute to
the re-invention of the Alliance in the twenty-first century.
As such, this thesis seeks to make a contribution to the current debates
surrounding NATO's purpose in the post-Cold War - and post 9/11 - world. Indeed,
while many scholars and policy-makers question NATO's relevance, it shall be argued
here that despite the lack of mutual interests or a common existential threat, NATO can
re-invent itself via a cultural dialogue and a 'revaluation of values.' In cultivating an
internal dialogue, Allies can seriously debate the differing cultural expressions of their
values. And yet, they must also consistently undergo a 'revaluation' of the values which
enhance life in their own societies, and which unite them in an Alliance.
However, given the complex nature of the contemporary strategic environment,
NATO members will inevitably need to act outside of the North Atlantic area. Indeed,
as security is increasingly defined in terms of 'risks' rather than 'threats', Allies are faced
with complex challenges which are transnational in origin and global in reach.
Consequently, they will need to engage in an external dialogue with others - such as
Russia and Pakistan - in order to combat these risks. Yet they cannot do so based upon
the assumption that these values are universal. Thus, it is crucial for NATO members to
acknowledge that their Western values are not 'exportable', and cannot be imposed upon
other societies. Though their values provide a steadfast common ground within the
Alliance, they do not provide a shared framework for dialogue outside of the North
Atlantic area.
In sum, this thesis seeks to make a timely contribution to the debates about
NATO's future, and concludes that via a cultural dialogue and a revaluation of values,
the Alliance can re-invent itself in the twenty-first century. Although there are other
ways in which commonality and discord within NATO have been expressed - such as
Karl Deutsch's depiction of an 'amalgamated' vs. a 'pluralistic' security community, and
G.M. Dillon's adaptation of Oakeshott's categories of 'civil' and 'enterprise' association -
this thesis argues that Windsor's idea of a cultural dialogue based upon the distinction
between norms and values offers a unique insight into the potential re-invention of the
Alliance, and thereby seeks to make a valuable contribution to the debates about
NATO's future.
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