With the growing multilateralization and regionalization of security-building process, the cross-cultural aspects of security-building dialogues have assumed a prominent place in contemporary policy debates. The case studies of this volume examine how and when cultural factors affect the elaboration and implementation of arms control and security-building policies. They cover a range of states and regions - The East-West experience, Latin America, China, Southeast Asia, India and the Arab-Israeli conflict - and elaborate a concept of 'security culture' that draws together the diplomatic, political, strategic and social elements that influence security policy-making. Together, they treat such issues as religious, communal or normative orientations towards war and peace; the impact of legacies of conflict, colonialism and state building; attitudes towards regional and multilateral relations; cultural styles of diplomacy and negotiation; the nature of civil-military relations; and societal outlooks on authority, violence and conflict management.