Sympathy, the Cement of Interoperability

Findings on Ten Years of German-Netherlands Military Cooperation

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2340573
AutoresRené Moelker (0000-0003-2815-5955, Netherlands Defense Academy, Breda, the Netherlands,), Joseph Soeters (0000-0002-2468-2208, Netherlands Defense Academy, Breda, the Netherlands,), Ulrich Vom Hagen (0009-0004-5065-4747, Social Research Institute of the Bundeswehr, Strausberg, Germany)
Año2007
Volumen33
Número4
Páginas496-517
Fecha de publicación2007-07-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaArmed Forces & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0095-327X • E-ISSN: 1556-0848
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0095327x06297590
OpenAlexW2117709020
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas7
Referencias citadas7

The authors present the findings of ten years of research concerning binational military cooperation in the First German-Netherlands Corps, founded in 1995. The start of this binational corps was accompanied with some worries because the interaction between Germans and Dutch in the populations at large was not considered to run smoothly. The authors focus on a well-known hypothesis from intercultural theory, claiming that frequency of contact is likely to foster feelings of sympathy. The data demonstrate that during the ten years of study the servicemen and -women of both nations have converged in their feelings of sympathy toward one another; in addition, the general hypothesis is confirmed. Servicemen and -women of other NATO member states entering the corps's headquarters since 2003 may help to create a more international atmosphere, in which the integration model of cultural interaction (instead of the assimilation and separation model) stands relatively more chance of success

Feeling · German · Political science · Sociology · Sympathy · European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies · History · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Military History and Strategy · Psychology · Social Psychology