502 Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos Núm. 2 / 2013 Olivier Urrutia Vice president of the Observatory for Think Tanks E-mail : olivier.urrutia@oftt.eu THE ROLE OF THINK TANKS IN THE DEFINITION AND APPLICATION OF DEFENCE POLICIES AND STRATEGIES This article aims to analyse the role of think tanks (organisations that produce ideas or solutions for the implementation of public policies) in the field of defence and international relations. Think tanks are key players in managing defence policies and developing operational military strategies in a complex and globalized environment; an environment marked by a democracy of opinion which is increasingly conditioned by the importance of mass media, shared governance, consensus, negotiation and balance of powers. Creating an analytical definition of their structures (nature, type, historical conditions for their appearance, activities and aims) in order to examine their role in the area of defence and security, the article will define the field of study by comparing the situation in the United States, the cradle of the think tank, France, and Spain through the use of case studies. The choice of France and Spain, two middle powers, is in the interest of comparing two models with profound differences that share borders, history, culture and the European project. Think tank, War of Ideas, Defence, Influence, Soft power
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