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<p>This thesis uses a comparative case study approach to examine how security  cultures change under the impact of political shocks and learning through failure. The  thesis thus analyzes the security cultures of Germany and the United States as they evolve  under the impact of the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1992 to 1995. The thesis  thereby also enhances our understanding of German and U.S. foreign policies. Using  paired observations for controlled comparison, the thesis employs process tracing to  examine the nature and quantity of change. The case studies demonstrate that security  cultures influence the assessment of political situations, restrain policy objectives, and  condition the range of issues to which political attention is devoted. Both cases reveal  that security cultures affect the evaluation of policy options and the choices that are  made. The thesis argues that different transformations of German and U.S. security  cultures led to divergent political behavior particularly with regard to the use of force,  resulting in more forceful and effective interventions in Bosnia and a reframing of future  interventions in third-party conflicts. Domestic reactions to the Bosnian war transformed  the security culture in Germany, whereas reactions in the U.S. triggered a re-ranking of  cultural preferences. Understanding how security cultures change and evolve through  exogenous and endogenous factors improves the chances of policy success in today's  challenging international environment.
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<br>Subjects: Refugees.; Germany; United States; security culture; strategic culture; cultural change; cultural preferences; Bosnian war; Balkan wars; formative events; political shocks; foreign policy; crisis management; crisis intervention; use of force</div>
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Reimers, Frank.</div>
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