Dynamics of military culture and multinational cooperation - A study of the Romanian Armed Forces - Editura StudIS Iaşi Title: DYNAMICS OF MILITARY CULTURE AND MULTINATIONAL COOPERATION - A STUDY OF THE ROMANIAN ARMED FORCES - Author: Cristina-Rodica Poponete Proof reading and corrections: Cristina Samson and John Greenhough Publisher: Editura StudIS, Romania Editor in chief: Paul Grigore Moroşanu Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naţionale a României POPONETE, CRISTINA-RODICA Dynamics of military culture and multinational cooperation - A study of the Romanian Armed Forces - / Cristina-Rodica Poponete. – Iaşi : StudIS, 2013 Bibliogr. ISBN 978-606-624-500-5 355.4 Copyright © 2013 Cristina-Rodica Poponete All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanically, by photocopy, by recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the author. Printed in Romania Dynamics of military culture and multinational cooperation - A study of the Romanian Armed Forces - Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan Tilburg University, op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof. dr. Ph. Eijlander, in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties aangewezen commissie in de Ruth First zaal van de Universiteit op maandag 25 november 2013 om 10.15 uur door CRISTINA–RODICA POPONETE geboren op 24 april 1972 te Tirgu-Mureş, Roemenië Promotor: Prof. dr. J.M.M.L. Soeters Copromotor: Dr. P.L. Curşeu Promotiecomissie: Prof. dr. W. Klinkert Prof. dr. M.J.D. Schalk Prof. dr. J. van der Meulen I dedicate this book to the memory of the Romanian Air Force pilots who have died in the last 22 years, whose youth and lives paid the price of mistakes yet loudly unspoken. While writing, my former Air Force cadets, now officers in the Romanian Armed Forces, inspired me with their hope that Sociology could make a difference to life in the military organization. Motto: „Dragostea ce avem pentru patria noastră ne îndeamnă pe de o parte să lăudăm neamul din care ne-am născut şi să înfăţişăm pe locuitorii ţării din care ne tragem, iar pe de altă parte, dragostea de adevăr ne împiedică, într-aceeaşi măsură, să lăudăm ceea ce ar fi după dreptate de osîndit. Le va fi lor mai folositor dacă le vom arăta limpede în faţă cusururile care îi sluţesc, decât dacă i-am înşela cu linguşiri blajine şi cu dezvinovăţiri dibace, în vreme ce toată lumea mai luminată, văzîndu-le le osîndeşte.” Dimitrie Cantemir – Descriptio Moldaviae, scrisă în 1716 la cererea Academiei din Berlin (Partea politică – Despre orânduirea de stat – Capitolul XVII Despre năravurile moldovenilor) “The love of our Country requires us to praise the nation of which we were born and to present the people we are related to, while our love of Truth prevents us from praising that which should be rejected. Rather than deceive them with vain flattery and clever exculpations, it is better to present our fellow countrymen with the realities which degrade them, because the wiser, seeing with clearer vision, would condemn these.” Dimitre Cantemir – Descriptio Moldaviae, written in 1716 on request of the Academy of Berlin (The Political Part – On the organization of The State – Chapter XVII Over the Manners of the Moldavians) Contents Figures, tables, photos and abbreviations .................................................................................. iii List of figures ............................................................................................................................................ iii List of tables .............................................................................................................................................. iii List of photos ............................................................................................................................................. iv List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Cha(lle)nges for contemporary military organizations .............................................................. 5 Old and new missions for the military ....................................................................................................... 5 Current developments: the internationalization of military life ................................................................. 7 Factors influencing international military cooperation ........................................................................... 10 Where is Romania in this trend?................................................................................................ 17 A short history of sociology and sociological research in Romania ........................................................ 17 Sociology and the Romanian military ...................................................................................................... 20 Changes within the Romanian Armed Forces .......................................................................................... 22 Aim of the thesis and the research questions ............................................................................................ 26 CHAPTER 2 CULTURE AND THE MILITARY ORGANIZATION Culture .......................................................................................................................................... 31 Preamble .................................................................................................................................................. 31 What is culture? ....................................................................................................................................... 33 How can culture be studied? .................................................................................................................... 38 The military .................................................................................................................................. 41 Culture within the military: peacetime ..................................................................................................... 41 Culture and multinational military cooperation ...................................................................................... 51 Learning issues ........................................................................................................................................ 56 Final theoretical considerations .............................................................................................................. 58 CHAPTER 3 ROMANIAN ARMED FORCES - YESTERDAY AND TODAY Culture and history in Romania ............................................................................................................... 62 The aftermath of the Second World War .................................................................................. 64 The dramatic year 1944 ........................................................................................................................... 64 Green light for purges: 1945 and after .................................................................................................... 67 Imposed change of the social structure of the armed forces: 1948-1955 ................................................. 71 Intermezzo: No to Communism in Romania! The Armed Resistance Movement ..................................... 75 1955-1965 ................................................................................................................................................ 79 The slaves of the “Golden Epoch”: the armed forces during Ceauşescu’s Regime. 1965- 1989 ............. 82 Romania after dictatorship ......................................................................................................... 88 1989 and immediately after ..................................................................................................................... 88 Reforming the national armed forces ....................................................................................................... 91 Following what kind of military leaders? ................................................................................................ 99 Summary: vestiges of the past for the understanding of today’s military culture in Romania ............... 107 i CHAPTER 4 DIAGNOSING THE ROMANIAN MILITARY CULTURE IN PEACETIME Theorethical framework ........................................................................................................... 111 Theoretical grounds ................................................................................................................................ 111 Expectations and hypotheses .................................................................................................................. 116 Design ..................................................................................................................................................... 119 Value orientations in military academies ................................................................................ 122 PDI ........................................................................................................................................................