Foreign Security Policy, Gender and Us Military Identity

The concept of 'othering' which can be understood as the process of differentiation from the Self has been a basic tenet of the war story since war stories were first told. This practise of deliberate differentiation is indicative of the fact that war stories are essentially about the production of identity. The aim of this book, therefore, is to unravel some of the gendered ideologies that underpin the link between state identity and foreign security policy by looking at a certain case, state and foreign security policy. In particular this volume explores the identity of the United States through military documents on perception management in conflict from 1991-2007 shedding light on the 'othering' and the 'selfing' that occurs in these particular war stories. In doing so it lays bare the gendered ideologies that underpins US identity between these years as well as exploring potential spaces for alternatives. Thus, this book ventures a detailed and unique look at a particular aspect of the gendered reproduction of the state.

Elgin Medea Brunner was a Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies. She holds a Doctorate in Political Science from the University of Vienna, a Master in Political Science and a Master in International Relations both from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Her research focus lies on gender issues in security studies and international relations, risk analysis and resilience as well as critical (information) infrastructure protection and cyber conflicts.