518 Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos Núm. 2 / 2013 activities and sets objectives with a degree of organisation similar to that of think tanks. And as outlined above, the Institute – thanks to its statutes -, is, like other similar organisations, actually more autonomous in its internal financial and intellectual management than some private think tanks; private think tanks often being excessively dependent on their founders, partners or patrons. The official objectives of the Institute, as set out by the National Defence Directive, can clearly be classed as those of a think tank: free thought (intellectual independence criteria) and nonpar-tisan thought (criteria of general interest, educational and accessible dissemination of information, promotion and development of the field, advice to leaders and politicians). Staying true to the very make-up of think tanks, the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies took its inspiration from the model used by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, an English think tank. The IEEE sets its objectives as being to research, develop, propose and communicate on issues surrounding the subject of defence. A highly varied communication and dissemination strategy for its publications has allowed this think tank to multiply its audience: Strategic Dossiers, the Strategic Panorama, information documents, opinion documents and analysis documents. The IEEE is a good example of state participation in the development of civil society organisations so as to ensure that appropriate instruments are available, specialised in new situations that may require a different type of expert opinion from that provided by large administrations. On a statutory level, this model is similar to that of the French organisation - the Centre d’analyse, de prévision et de stratégie. France The French Jacobin system is the legacy of a state apparatus built progressively through a very marked central administration. Political parties are not everlasting and are very heterogeneous. French administration and public bodies provide advice and expert opinion to political decision-makers. In France there is a certain level of mistrust of anything political with Anglo-Saxon characteristics. In addition, the conflation of lobby groups (understood as groups who act to manipulate for the benefit of their own interests) and think tanks has been rejected by the people and has led to investors backing away. France, with its historical tradition of clubs and salons and with the recognised figure of the dedicated intellectual, has seen a strong momentum in the creation of think tanks since 2000 – and part i c u l a r l y s inc e the presidential elections in 2012.30 This brief period of time has witnessed the creation of as many think tanks as during the whole period between 1950 and 2000. In France, the think tanks dealing with issues of international relations and defence are the ones that most resemble the American model in terms of structure: permanent researchers with contracts, varied publications, distinguished journals, mixed budgets (public/private) and political neutrality. With a long diplomatic tradition, France par- 30 URRUTIA, Olivier, La France des think tanks, L’Observatoire des think tanks, 21/07/2011, http:// www.oftt.eu/press/our-contributions/article/la-france-des-think-tanks
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