Statement of Academic Interest 2006

Comparative Strategic Culture Analysis has become a very compelling subject, both personally and as it relates to my career as an officer in the Canadian Navy.  While this appears to be a fairly recent area of academic study, it is one that I believe may hold tremendous potential in multilateral and international communication and conflict-resolution, especially as it applies to policy development and strategic planning.  It may also have potential application at the micro or interpersonal level.

A Masters program in International Studies would be a valuable starting point to explore this subject.  The scope of what could be studied to further a working understanding of comparative strategic culture would go far beyond the level of a first graduate degree program.  In order to pursue studies of this nature independently and on a long term basis, however, a masters program would provide the focus, direction and tools of research needed to lay solid groundwork for an ongoing lifetime exploration of comparative strategic culture as an analytic tool.

Comparative Strategic Culture Analysis, in order to be studied effectively must first be clearly defined.  This would include identifying the relevant universal elements or variables that constitute the framework for effective comparative analysis and determining parameters for comparison.  A reasonable approach might be to identify and compare the strategic cultures of two ideologically disparate countries such as the UK and Japan.  The objective would be to track and compare the evolution of each and determine where and how their respective histories, geographies and cultural makeup shaped the elements of their strategic culture.  In order to better understand how specific elements influenced the threat identification/response tendencies of each nation it would be of value to then apply the identified cultural and geographic predispositions to a well documented conflict such as WW II or the time period from 1945 until the fall of the Berlin Wall.  In this manner it is hoped that the key elements that determined documented responses to threat or perceived threat/benefit could be identified and objectively understood.  It may also be possible to see a pattern emerge in terms of the impact of strategic and cultural biases and predispositions in international relations.

The University of Northern British Columbia was chosen for this area of graduate study primarily as it appears to be strongly supportive of the interdisciplinary approach to international studies that would be critical to comparative strategic culture analysis.  UNBC also appears to have the flexibility that would be necessary both to my area of interest and to my need to pursue studies on a part time distant learning basis.  I was studying at UBC when UNBC was in its formative stages, furthermore, and was quite taken by the energy and passion demonstrated by those involved in its development. 

The specific stream of study in the International Studies MA program that would be of interest would be that of Regional Relations, especially as it pertains to the Asia Pacific region.  International Development too, however, is equally relevant to a study of Comparative Strategic Culture Analysis.  French is already a comfortable second language, but a study of either Japanese or Mandarin would be valuable for any studies abroad or for application in the course of my responsibilities as a Naval officer.  In terms of study programs, my preference would be for the thesis option.