The Russia-Ukraine war is a multifaceted beast. It ranges from fighting on the ground to high diplomacy, from domestic anti-war protests to international weapon supplies, from justification through... Show moreThe Russia-Ukraine war is a multifaceted beast. It ranges from fighting on the ground to high diplomacy, from domestic anti-war protests to international weapon supplies, from justification through sham referenda to coercion via economic sabotage, and from operational misdirection to covering up war crimes. There are close connections between these facets: the collapse of a front leads to the discovery of mass graves; the delivery of weapon systems depends on Zelensky’s appeal to the international community; sham referenda followed by annexation enable accusations of unwillingly mobilized soldiers who refuse to defend the motherland. The volume sheds light on the Russia-Ukraine war, exploring this multitude of facets and their interconnections. Bringing together the expertise of our colleagues at the Netherlands Defense Academy (NLDA) allows us to adopt a distinctively interdisciplinary approach, offering uniquely comprehensive and timely reflections on this armed conflict. The 27 chapters in this volume are centered around five themes. The first section covers historical and contemporary narratives, intelligence, digital technologies, and communication strategies. The second provides in depth analyses of the operational aspects of the war, including warfighting on land, at sea, in the air, as well as in the space and cyber domains. The third section on international involvement covers topics such as sanctions, burden sharing, arms support and implications of the war on international institutions and the world order. The fourth provides analyses of the normative framework that applies to the Russia-Ukraine war. Finally, the fifth section deals with the way armed forces can transform their organizations and learn from this war, and concludes with questions on how and when the Russia-Ukriane war might end. Show less
Since as far back antiquity, philosophers have been inquiring into the nature of conflict. One of the most prominent ideas to have dominated this inquiry is that conflict represents an undesirable... Show moreSince as far back antiquity, philosophers have been inquiring into the nature of conflict. One of the most prominent ideas to have dominated this inquiry is that conflict represents an undesirable part of life, one that stands opposed to the ideals of harmony, co-operation and consensus. Nietzsche, however, rejects this position, proffering various arguments for why we ought to positively value conflict. Yet Nietzsche’s stance is by no means unambigious. Commentators sharply disagree regarding the specific form of conflict to which his endorsement refers. His “hard” readers present him as a warmonger, who predominantly advocates unmeasured, destructive types of struggle (e.g. war). Conversely, Nietzsche’s “soft” readers claim that he exclusively promotes a measured, agonal mode of struggle modelled on the non-violent contests (or agons) that pervaded ancient Greek culture. I contend that both of these readings are one-sided and require modification. Indeed, the thesis that this dissertation defends is that Nietzsche promotes both measured and unmeasured struggle in an entirely coherent manner. I further argue that commentators have neglected the most significant form of conflict in Nietzsche’s thought, which is characterised by a combination of measured and unmeasured conflict. This species of struggle is analogous to the biological process of digestion, which simultaneously involves 1) a measured struggle to incorporate that which is deemed serviceable to the organism, and 2) an unmeasured struggle to eliminate material deemed redundant or harmful. This dualistic struggle is what I term organisational conflict on account of the fact that both incorporation and exclusion form part of a single overarching impetus to establish healthy organisation. Show less
In this book, research was conducted into the downfall of Gijs van Hall (1904-1977) as mayor of Amsterdam in the spring of 1967, when he was removed from office by the government. A unique... Show moreIn this book, research was conducted into the downfall of Gijs van Hall (1904-1977) as mayor of Amsterdam in the spring of 1967, when he was removed from office by the government. A unique political and historical event! But is also raised many questions afterwards about both the person Gijs van Hall and his life history, as well as the context in which he should have operated as mayor between 1957 and 1967. The social democrat and war hero Van Hall believed that his removal had something to do with being a descendant of the distinguished 19th century family of public administrators Van Hall. He believed that he had become a symbol of the objectionable regent class and its paternalistic regent mentality, and the victim of opposition to this from a new generation. In his eyes, all the criticism he received was ‘only because I am a Van Hall’. This book tries to shed new light on Van Hall’s forced removal. It is concluded that his downfall was due to his lack of vision on the duties of a mayor, his difficulty to cope with a new media culture and the tragic loss of his brother Walraven during the war. Show less
Stevanovic, A.; Franciskovic, T.; Vermetten, E. 2016
This study discusses the question of how refugee women in the Netherlands, as indi-viduals and as members of a family and a group, act in response to their experiences of sexual violence, and why... Show moreThis study discusses the question of how refugee women in the Netherlands, as indi-viduals and as members of a family and a group, act in response to their experiences of sexual violence, and why they regard silence as the best coping strategy. The women who participated in the research have different backgrounds: cultural, social, geographi-cal, and religious, as well as with respect to the kind of political conflict they fled from. But in spite of this, this research shows that all the women considered remaining silent about their experiences the best coping strategy. The emphasis in this study is on the subjective experiences of the women, and it shows that the way the women deal with their experiences is embedded in very complex and dynamic interactions occurring in and between different important contexts for them, such as the family, the social group, their culture of origin, and the Netherlands. In all this, the intra-psychic condition of the women is also of great impor-tance. Although the women suffer from their experiences, they do not talk about the cause of their suffering, because they think that if their secret became public it would de-stroy the connectedness with loved ones. Show less
