- Learning to gain and assess relevant empirical and theoretical knowledge concerning the course's topic at an advanced level
- Learning to operationalise knowledge and analytical skills, a.o. by preparing propositions for discussion and conducting research on the basis of a given question at an advanced level
- Learning to present research results, both orally and in writing, in a clear and well-structured way, at an advanced level
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Military violence is one of the instruments a state (or group) may use to accomplish its goals. International relations, domestic social and political relations, geographical position, technological developments, experiences in the recent and far past, institutional interests and cultural factors: all of these dimensions influence how states perceive threats against their security and how they respond to these from a military perspective.
In this course we will explore how a state’s military defence develops and is being implemented in practice by focusing on the example of the Netherlands. After an introductory session (military terminology and concepts; overview of the developments in warfare; military violence in IR theory) the Dutch security and defence policy from 1945 until today will be analysed. How did the Netherlands as a military small state perceived its security and the role of its armed forces? What kind of posture did it take, first in the midst of the Cold War and afterwards, in a world in which the fear of an all-destroying nuclear Third World War was replaced by new international threats resulting from an increasing number of national and regional conflicts, including the rise of international terrorism?
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