War, Conflict and Genocide Studies – serie

Despite the recent rise in studies that approach fascism as a transnational phenomenon, the links between fascism and internationalist intellectual currents have only received scant attention. This book explores the political thought of Bertrand de Jouvenel and Alfred Fabre-Luce, two French intellectuals, journalists and political writers who, from 1930 to the mid-1950s, moved between liberalism, fascism and Europeanism. Daniel Knegt argues that their longing for a united Europe was the driving force behind this ideological transformation-and that we can see in their thought the earliest stages of what would become neoliberalism.

The twentieth century has been called, not inaccurately, a century of genocide. And the beginning of the twenty-first century has seen little change, with genocidal violence in Darfur, Congo, Sri Lanka, and Syria. Why is genocide so widespread, and so difficult to stop, across societies that differ so much culturally, technologically, and politically? That's the question that this collection addresses, gathering a stellar roster of contributors to offer a range of perspectives from different disciplines to attempt to understand the pervasiveness of genocidal violence. Challenging outdated beliefs and conventions that continue to influence our understanding, Genocide constitutes a major contribution to the scholarship on mass violence.

Today, strategic aerial bombardments of urban areas that harm civilians, at times intentionally, are becoming increasingly common in global conflicts. This book reveals the history of these tactics as employed by nations that initiated aerial bombardments of civilians after World War I and during World War II. As one of the major symbols of German suffering, the Allied bombing left a strong imprint on German society. Bas von Benda-Beckmann explores how German historical accounts reflected debates on postwar identity and looks at whether the history of the air war forms a counternarrative against the idea of German collective guilt. Provocative and unflinching, this study offers a valuable contribution to German historiography.

Hunt for Nazis is the first comprehensive account of the post-1945 efforts to bring Nazi war criminals who had escaped to South America to justice. The author shows that the Nazi hunt -- which resulted in spectacular cases like the kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann -- should not only be understood as part of the afterlife of the Third Reich, but that it also became an integral aspect of dealing with repression at the hands of authoritarian regimes in South America. Dissidents and human rights activists assumed that the escaped Nazi perpetrators and collaborators continued to be involved in violent crimes in the service of these new dictatorships.

When the Second World War ended, Europe was in ruins. Yet, politically and socially, the years between 1943 and 1947 were a time of dramatic reconfigurations, which proved to be foundational for the making of today's Europe. This volume hones in on the crucial period from the beginning of the end of Nazi rule in Europe to the advent of the Cold War. Through a series of interrelated case studies that span the entire continent, it demonstrates how the everyday experiences of Europeans during these five years shaped the transition of their societies from war to peace. The authors explore these reconfigurations on different scales and levels -the local and regional, the ethnic and national, and the international - with the purpose of enhancing our understanding of how wars end.

This is the first extensive treatment of leading judicial institutions under Nazi rule in WWII. It focusses on all democratic countries under German occupation, and provides the details for answering questions like: how can law serve as an instrument of defence against an oppressive regime? Are the courts always the guardians of democracy and rule of law? What role was there for international law? How did the courts deal with dismissals, new appointees, new courts, forced German ordinances versus national law? How did judges justify their actions, help citizens, appease the enemy, protest against injustice? Experts from all democracies that were occupied by the Nazis paint vivid pictures of oppression, collaboration, and resistance. The results are interpreted in a socio-legal framework introducing the concept of ‘moral hygiene’ to explain the clash between normative and descriptive approaches in public opinion and scholarship concerning officials’ behaviour in war-time.

How did the integration of Jews into Dutch society influenced Jewish resistance during the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War? In this book Ben Braber answers the question how the integration of Jews into Dutch society influenced Jewish resistance during the German occupation of the Netherlands in the second world war. This study highlights the social position of Jews and their group characteristics, but also reviews other factors that determined what forms Jewish resistance took such as personal character and individual circumstance.This is the first comprehensive study of this subject in the English language of Jewish resistance in the Netherlands. It offers a new perspective on Jews during the Holocaust and counters the prejudice about Jews failing to resist persecution. This book is also relevant for today's multi-ethnical society. It is a case study about the hampered integration of a minority, in particular how people in this group react when they are forcefully segregated and persecuted, while thinking this cannot happen here.

Maintaining Neutrality in Modern Europe examines how states and societies have actively navigated the contested space between belligerence and alliance from the nineteenth century to today, revealing neutrality as a deliberate, emotionally charged political strategy rather than passive non-involvement.Through eight compelling chapters featuring European case studies - the Netherlands and Switzerland during the World Wars, Belgium under German occupation, and the German Bund's role in post-1815 security – the collection challenges the prevailing assumption that neutrality is simply the absence of a choice. Instead, its contributors demonstrate that non-alignment was an active, continuously contested, and emotionally charged political strategy. The volume makes two significant interventions. First, it bridges the largely separate literatures of diplomatic and military history on the one hand and international relations scholarship on "hedging" on the other, arguing for cross-fertilisation between empirically rich historical case studies and theoretically sophisticated IR frameworks. Second, it expands the scope of neutrality studies by incorporating cultural and emotional history, treating neutrality as mindset as well as policy.This book is essential reading for scholars and postgraduate students specializing in diplomatic history, security studies, and international relations. It will also appeal to informed general readers, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to understand the historical roots and contemporary relevance of neutrality in an increasingly polarized world.

This book examines the politics of international peacekeeping training centres as key sites where security is shaped, practised, and legitimised. Focusing on two prominent institutions—the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (Ghana) and the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (Italy)—it investigates how peacekeeping training influences understandings of security Assistance.Based on site-intensive fieldwork, desk research, and interviews, the book analyses how training centres operate at the crossroads of international organisations, national governments, and security forces, with particular attention to Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR), the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), human trafficking, and the role of the European Union. It highlights how indicators, data practices, and symbolic performances are mobilised to claim authority and credibility. The author situates these dynamics within debates in international relations and critical security studies and offers a new perspective on how knowledge is produced, circulated, and used in the governance of security.With its attention to the everyday practices of training in two training centres in Europe and West Africa, this book will appeal to students and scholars of international relations, security studies, and African and European politics, as well as practitioners and non-specialist readers interested in peace and security.

Caught in the Middle discusses this thesis based on new research from Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Spain and the USA. The result is the first comparative study in English on First World War neutrality. The contributors also cover multiple aspects of the concept of neutrality: political, economic, cultural and legal.

Through a series of interrelated case studies that span the entire continent, this work demonstrates how the everyday experiences of Europeans during these five years shaped the transition of their societies from war to peace.

This collection gathers a stellar roster of contributors to offer a range of perspectives from different disciplines to attempt to understand the pervasiveness of genocidal violence.

How did the integration of Jews into Dutch society influenced Jewish resistance during the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War? This book reviews Jewish resistance in the Netherlands during the Second World War within the context of Jewish integration into the Dutch society.

Bas von Benda-Beckmann explores how German historical accounts reflected debates on postwar identity and looks at whether the history of the air war forms a counternarrative against the idea of German collective guilt.

This collection brings together a group of historians to show how historical prejudice against Jews continued to resonate throughout the Netherlands in the post-World War II years.

Despite the recent rise in studies that approach fascism as a transnational phenomenon, the links between fascism and internationalist intellectual currents have only received scant attention. This book explores the political thought of Bertrand de Jouvenel and Alfred Fabre-Luce, two French intellectuals, journalists and political writers who, from 1930 to the mid-1950s, moved between liberalism, fascism and Europeanism. Daniel Knegt argues that their longing for a united Europe was the driving force behind this ideological transformation-and that we can see in their thought the earliest stages of what would become neoliberalism.

The first comprehensive account of the post-1945 efforts to bring Nazi war criminals who had escaped to South America to justice.

This collection brings together a group of historians to show how historical prejudice against Jews continued to resonate throughout the Netherlands in the post-World War II years.