Offering the societal perspective, the author deals with state building and the role of religion in Lebanon, prior to, during and after the 2006 war. The internal Lebanese problem is also an element in the international tensions between Sunnis and Shiites, between the Arab/Islamic world and Israel, between …

Marcel de Goedes perspective on the 2006 war is that of IDFs strategic culture, meaning the ideas, attitudes, traditions, habits of mind and preferred methods of operation that have been developed during its unique historical experience. He lists explanations for IDFs disappointing performance, describes …

The author, writing directly from his personal experiences, describes the difficulty of leading air force activities in a complex operation like in Afghanistan. Not only gaining and maintaining air superiority, and providing air support and transport, was on the agenda of ISAFs air force headquarters …

After more than three decades of war and conflict, Afghanistan is back on track towards becoming a functioning state again. Although security and stability have not taken root yet, the first results of peace are tangible. The quality of governance, the judicial …

The authors take a legal perspective at the 2006 Hezbollah-Israeli conflict, but also illustrate the difficulty states armed forces have when facing non-state adversaries. International law (ius ad bellum) and the laws of war (ius in bello) both seem to originate most of all from the history of western, …

Because of the high-risk deployments into Afghanistan, soldiers’ parents have become more important in public opinion as well as in activities of family support groups. Although their voice is heard louder than ever before, research into parents’ experiences in the course of deployment is sparse. This …

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) encountered numerous problems during the invasion of southern Lebanon in 2006. Division 162, for instance, experienced serious difficulties while approaching the village of Ghandouriyeh.2 Even though multiple axes of approach were available the IDF took the route along …

The transition from the Organization for African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU) was a consequence of the changing peace and security agenda of the Pan-African organization. The African leaders desired a continental peace and security architecture, which would be capable of preventing, managing …

This paper examines the complex relationship between the Western Balkan region and the EU security policy. It examines the development of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) in the context of the violent crises, which occurred in the southeastern European countries (SEE) around the decomposition …

The Dutch society of today is a very mixed one. Different cultures from all over the world come together in one small country. One of the reasons that the Dutch society contains so many different cultures is because of its colonial history. The Surinamese population is one of the many ethnical minorities …