Routledge Handbook of Strategic Culture

28 Venezuelan Strategic Culture Balancing History with Twenty-First-Century Socialism

Megan F. Moore

DOI: 10.4324/9781003010302-31

Introduction

The definition of strategic culture adopted for this chapter is the “[s]hared beliefs, assumptions, and modes of behavior, derived from common experiences and accepted narratives (both oral and written), that shape collective identity and relationships to other groups, and which determine appropriate ends and means for achieving security objectives.”¹ Venezuela has not engaged in an armed conflict since the nation’s founding in 1830, and yet, strategic culture analysis enriches understandings of its past and present security postures. Strategic culture illuminates factors that helped create and exacerbate ...