Other Perspectives:

"Strategic culture and national style have very deep roots within a particular stream of historical experience - as locally interpreted. While it is not assumed that culture and style are immutable - that would be absurd - it is assumed that national patterns of thought and action, the preferred way of coping with problems and opportunities, are likely to alter only gradually."

- Colin S. Gray, "Comparative Strategic Culture," 1984.

Strategic culture refers to "the traditions, values, attitudes, patterns of behaviour, habits, symbols, achievements and particular ways of adapting to the environment and solving problems with respect to the threat or use of force." It is rooted in a country's history, geography, political culture and the attitudes of contemporary political and military elites. In other words, strategic culture provides a framework in which a country approaches the questions of war and peace, but also more generally with regard to the usability of military power in the conduct of its relations with other international actors.

Ben Lombardi 2003  http://www.forces.gc.ca/admpol/eng/doc/strat_2003/sa03_17_e.htm

"strategic culture ": a set of coherent and durable concepts, images, metaphors and assumptions held by a population and its political leaders in terms of issues pertaining to defence, and particularly to the use of force in international relations.  http://www.pedc.uqam.ca/english/research.htm#2