The Image of the Soldier in Austria

Abstract

I present, first, a macro-level analysis of the ‘image’ of the military and, then, a micro-level portrait of the soldier, lining out some basic thoughts about the (self-)image of the soldier in Austria. I argue that elite-based decisions to ‘go international’ (i.e. to take part in international military missions either in the UN or EU framework) are already shaping and will continue to shape the image of the Austrian soldier in the future. This chapter thus illustrates that the discipline of political science and its sub-discipline of international relations can also provide insights to the image of the soldier by having a look at the domestic and the international political environment. Understood in this way, the chapter argues for a top-down approach towards understanding and framing the issue of the military within the domestic society.