War and Peace Blog

Does Donald Trump deserve the Nobel Peace Prize?

Blog post # 17, 9 October 2025 Hamas and Israel have signed onto the first phase of the peace plan launched by US President Donald Trump. They have agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, access for humanitarian aid, the return of the remaining Israeli hostages, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. Trump set the deadline…
Will investing in arms make Europe safer?

Blog post #16, 26 August 2025 Do guns make us safe? Europe is investing in armament. NATO and EU member states have committed to spending 5 per cent of their GDP on security, including 3,5 per cent on military spending and 1,5 per cent devoted to other security-oriented investments. This represents a steep increase from…
Veiligheid is meer dan wapens

Vandaag publiceerde Trouw dit opiniestuk van Reinout van der Veer en mijzelf over de noodzaak om de internationale rechtsorde te beschermen.
Hamas and Israel, part II: Violence as a strategic error

Blog post #15, 21 May 2024 Last Monday, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced its intention to issue arrest warrants against leaders of both Israel and Hamas for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The announcement was met with anger from both sides. Neither side wants its violence to be…
Hamas and Israel: a violent dialogue

Blog post #14, 30 January 2024 Much has been written about Hamas’ dreadful October 7th attack and Israel’s brutal war of retaliation. This post places this debate in perspective by looking at the history of terrorism in Palestine-Israel and elsewhere. This history teaches us two things. First, terrorism is part of political conflicts between those…
Lessen over de Nederlandse inzet op veiligheid en stabiliteit

Blog post #13, 19 september 2023 Ontluisterende conclusies Begin september publiceerde de directie Internationaal Onderzoek en Beleidsevaluatie (IOB), de evaluatiedienst van het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, een kritisch rapport over de Nederlandse inspanningen om vrede en stabiliteit te bevorderen, via een combinatie van militaire inzet, diplomatie en ontwikkelingshulp, in de periode 2015-2022. Op basis van…
Radicalisme niet criminaliseren

De recente ophef rond de preventieve arrestatie van activisten van Extinction Rebellion laat zien dat mijn opiniestuk over radicalisme, afgelopen augustus in NRC, onverminderd actueel is. Wie het gemist heeft kan het hier teruglezen.
Should Ukraine negotiate with Russia?

Blog post #12, 31 January 2023 Where is the Ukraine war headed? While the country’s Western partners continue to move the ‘red lines’ that circumscribe the heaviness of the arms they supply, now agreeing even to send tanks, in recent weeks some hesitant calls for negotiation could be heard. Why hesitant? As they go against…
Why we need frustrating rules in the fight against terrorism

Blog post #11, 13 October 2022 If, like me, you like to watch films and series in which policemen pursue bad guys, you may have noticed a recurring theme: regulations that limit the police’s power of action are treated as a source of frustration. You know the story: the detective has his eyes on a…
Ending the war in Ukraine: what conflict science teaches us

Blog post #10, 13 May 2022 In the quest to end the dreadful war in Ukraine, it is helpful to take a moment and look at what we know about wars and how they end. This blog post tries to summarize some of this knowledge and what it means in terms of the prospects for…