Understanding Russian Strategic Culture through the ‘Special Operation’ in Ukraine – European and Global Implications

Abstract The term ‘strategic culture’ was introduced into IR scholarship in the 1970’s by scholars who wanted to understand the nuclear armaments rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union. But how do we explain the foreign policy behavior of contemporary Russia based on the strategic culture? To address this question, the paper analyzes Russia’s fatal decision (2022) to attack Ukraine, and its global implications. Russia’s “special military operation” has changed the geopolitical landscape in two significant ways: a) the NATO memberships of traditional neutrals like Finland and Sweden show that strategic culture can be in a constant state of flux; b) the military balance of power in Europe is shifting in a way, not witnessed since the end of the Second World War. While there is a growing pressure to revitalize unison among the European NATO members, the possibility of Russia’s European path should not be excluded altogether.