Strategic Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Divergent Paths of Uganda and Tanzania
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The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Fall 12-2017 Strategic Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Divergent Paths of Uganda and Tanzania Kevin Frank University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the African Studies Commons, Comparative Politics Commons, Human Geography Commons, and the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Frank, Kevin, "Strategic Culture in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Divergent Paths of Uganda and Tanzania" (2017). Dissertations. 1459. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/1459 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STRATEGIC CULTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: THE DIVERGENT PATHS OF UGANDA AND TANZANIA by Kevin Keasbey Frank A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School, the College of Arts and Letters, and the Department of Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2017 STRATEGIC CULTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: THE DIVERGENT PATHS OF UGANDA AND TANZANIA by Kevin Keasbey Frank December 2017 Approved by: ________________________________________________ Dr. Robert J. Pauly, Committee Chair Associate Professor, Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs ________________________________________________ Dr. Robert Maxwell Press, Committee Member Associate Professor, Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs ________________________________________________ Dr. Tom Lansford, Committee Member Professor, Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs ________________________________________________ Dr. David L. Butler, Committee Member Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Research, Middle Tennessee State University ________________________________________________ Dr. Jeffrey S. Lantis, Committee Member Professor, The College of Wooster ________________________________________________ Dr. Edward Sayre Chair, Department of Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs ________________________________________________ Dr. Karen S. Coats Dean of the Graduate School COPYRIGHT BY Kevin Keasbey Frank 2017 Published by the Graduate School ABSTRACT STRATEGIC CULTURE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: THE DIVERGENT PATHS OF UGANDA AND TANZANIA by Kevin Keasbey Frank December 2017 Strategic culture is a concept accepted by scholars and practitioners, but with problematic applicability to states newly independent or emerging from conflict. The elements that comprise strategic culture in the developed world are not always present in emerging states. This research addresses the pertinency of strategic culture in Uganda and Tanzania, and then tests the operationalization of the concept using the case of participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The African Union and the international community expected Uganda and Tanzania to contribute troops to AMISON in 2007. In the event, Uganda did and Tanzania chose another path. This study shows that the actions of both states were consistent with their strategic cultures. The small-n comparative study describes strategic culture as a concept that influences national security decisions, but does not determine them. Strategic culture is operationalized through path dependence, in which the accumulation of decisions over time create constraints and restraints upon decision-makers. Modes of behavior by the national security apparatus become too difficult or expensive to change. The result is a repertoire, or “tool box”, of national security activity reflective of the state’s unique strategic culture. The sources of strategic culture are first considered to determine the applicability of the concept, which include explication of each states military history and experience, ii as well as resources, political systems, national security organization and geography, with a focus on ethnic geography. Those factors are then assessed against attributes derived from the definition of strategic culture to determine presence and level of maturity. Both states are found to possess an emerging strategic culture. How that influences the decision over AMISOM participation is then considered. The decision by Uganda is consistent with a strategic culture that favors military solutions for national security challenges. The decision by Tanzania to not contribute troops is also consistent with their strategic culture that offers a greater range of decision options, and does not favor military options. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS No effort of this size is a solitary endeavor. I would like to thank my dissertation committee for their work. I would especially like to thank Dr. David Butler for sticking with the project through institutional change, and Dr. Jeffrey Lantis for his willingness to provide his expertise and advice for no other reason than scholarly enthusiasm. A number of scholars and friends contributed their time and advice: Dr. Jim Beach, Dr. Brett Morash, Dr. Opiyo Oloya, Dr. John Cameron and Dr. Austin Jersild. All provided their unique perceptions to my work and encouragement on my academic journey. My classmates in the Doctoral Program in International Development at the University of Southern Mississippi provided the comradeship that is so important in blended curriculums. I would especially like to thank Ms. Melissa Aho, a splendid research librarian and classmate who helped me navigate many of the shoals of academic resources. Her efforts greatly contributed to the breadth of sources of which I made use. There are a number of individuals from a variety of nationalities that allowed me to interview them, though they asked for strict anonymity. Their contributions to this research allowed for the theory to not stray far from reality. iv DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my wife Tracy, whose understanding, encouragement, and assistance made my academic aspiration possible v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................. xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Strategic Culture in Emerging States .............................................................................. 2 The Importance of History .............................................................................................. 5 Contributing Factors to Strategic Culture ....................................................................... 8 Research Design.............................................................................................................. 9 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER II – LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 17 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 17 Literature Review.......................................................................................................... 18 Strategic Culture ....................................................................................................... 18 Path Dependence ....................................................................................................... 46 Peacekeeping............................................................................................................. 50 vi Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER III - METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH APPROACH ........................... 59 Introduction and Overview ........................................................................................... 59 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 60 Case Selection ............................................................................................................... 62 Information Requirements ............................................................................................ 66 Research Design............................................................................................................ 72 Data Collection Methods .............................................................................................