Thijs Brocades Zaalberg
Biographic Data
| ID | 3086964 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Thijs Brocades Zaalberg |
| GIVEN NAMES | Thijs Brocades |
| FAMILY NAME | Zaalberg |
| SIGNATURE | ZAALBERG T B |
| AFFILIATIONS | Netherlands Institute for Art History |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0343-3090 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
The Forbidden Nazi Metaphor
The so-called ‘forbidden metaphor’ – or ‘the inevitable comparison with the Nazis’ – has played a crucial role in the Dutch debate on atrocities committed during the Indonesian War of Independence. The suggestion of a role reversal from occupied to occupier and from victim to perpetrator often met with angry opposition in retrospective discussions on the war, particularly after a veteran exposed Dutch war crimes in 1969. But to what extent, and i…
The Social Ties that Bind
International cooperation between intelligence services poses a dilemma. It is an important tool in countering today’s complex transnational threats, but at the same time, cooperation is a risky business. Intelligence services can never be sure that a partner will reciprocate in kind. Scholars and practitioners often identify trust as one of the foremost conditions to overcome this dilemma. Yet the notion of trust is seldomly conceptualized in th…
Empire's Violent End
In Empire's Violent End , Thijs Brocades Zaalberg and Bart Luttikhuis, along with expert contributors, present comparative research focused specifically on excessive violence in Indonesia, Algeria, Vietnam, Malaysia, Kenya, and other areas during the wars of decolonization . In the last two decades, there have been heated public and scholarly debates in France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands on the violent end of empire. Nevertheless, th…
Extreem geweld tijdens dekolonisatieoorlogen in vergelijkend perspectief, 1945-1962
thijs brocades zaalberg en bart
The Pitfalls of Cross-National Comparison in Conflict Research
Professor Joseph Soeters shows admirable ambition in comparing national styles of conflict resolution and is extremely eager to draw historical lessons from such comparative exercises. However, he gets entangled in national mythmaking as he underestimates the complexity of comparative history of this kind. Particularly the establishment of true causal links between national (strategic) cultures and actual tactical behaviour on the ground is far m…
The Use and Abuse of the ‘Dutch Approach’ to Counter-Insurgency
This article argues that there is little evidence supporting the existence of the often praised, and allegedly subtle and successful ‘Dutch approach’ to stabilisation and counter-insurgency operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. It denounces the uncritical use of the term and refutes suggestions of historical and cultural roots to such an approach, for instance in Dutch colonial warfare in the Indonesian archipelago. It concludes by explaining the tr…
A gentle occupation
This article examines the so-called ‘Dutch approach’ to conducting stabilisation operations. The term is mostly used in relation to the mission carried out by the Netherlands armed forces in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province from 2006 to 2010, but actually originates in the Iraqi province of Al Muthanna. Here, a 1350-strong battle group operated from July 2003 until March 2005 as part of the US-led coalition, after which the Dutch forces left Iraq r…
Inter-organisational communication in civil-military cooperation during complex emergencies
This paper seeks to contribute to an improved information management and exchange between humanitarian organisations and military agents in complex emergencies. To do so, a theoretical information management process model was developed and applied to the case of information management between International Security Assistance Force troops and humanitarian organisations such as Cordaid, DACAAR and the International Office for Migration in Kabul, A…
Countering Insurgent-terrorism
History teaches that counterinsurgency and counterterrorism campaigns have never been won through purely military action. Defeating an opponent who avoids open battle, but who uses force to reach his goals, including terrorist action, requires a combination of police, administrative, economic and military measures. As a counterinsurgency campaign should pursue a comprehensive political objective, it requires high levels of civil–military cooperat…
Soldiers and Civil Power
Peace operations became the core focus of many Western armed forces after the Cold War. The wish amongst political and military leaders during the 1990s to hold on to the classical identity of the armed forces as an instrument of force made them pursue a strict separation between military operations and the civilian aspects of peacekeeping, such as policing, administrative functions, and political and societal reconstruction. In his book Soldiers…
American Visions of the Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia
The result of a Fulbright senior research fellowship celebrating the simultaneous 50th anniversaries of the Fulbright Exchange Foundation and the Indonesian Republic, this book offers a new perspective on American attitudes toward Dutch colonial rule and Indonesia's struggle for independence. Drawing on extensive research in American, Dutch, Indonesian, and Australian diplomatic records and archival documents, as well as the archives of the Unite…
American Visions of the Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia
The result of a Fulbright senior research fellowship celebrating the simultaneous 50th anniversaries of the Fulbright Exchange Foundation and the Indonesian Republic, this book offers a new perspective on American attitudes toward Dutch colonial rule and Indonesia's struggle for independence. Drawing on extensive research in American, Dutch, Indonesian, and Australian diplomatic records and archival documents, as well as the archives of the Unite…
American Visions of the Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia
Department and US intelligence agencies in order to prepare his Master's thesis in history at the University of Groningen. He arrived in Washington in early 1996. In the course of many months of shared daily research at NARA in College Park, Maryland, he became a valued intellectual partner. At a time when I was only beginning to immerse myself in the writing process,Thijs completed his MA thesis.When I read the incremental installments of his sc…
The Use and Abuse of the ‘Dutch Approach’ to Counter-Insurgency
This article argues that there is little evidence supporting the existence of the often praised, and allegedly subtle and successful ‘Dutch approach’ to stabilisation and counter-insurgency operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. It denounces the uncritical use of the term and refutes suggestions of historical and cultural roots to such an approach, for instance in Dutch colonial warfare in the Indonesian archipelago. It concludes by explaining the tr…
A gentle occupation
This article examines the so-called ‘Dutch approach’ to conducting stabilisation operations. The term is mostly used in relation to the mission carried out by the Netherlands armed forces in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province from 2006 to 2010, but actually originates in the Iraqi province of Al Muthanna. Here, a 1350-strong battle group operated from July 2003 until March 2005 as part of the US-led coalition, after which the Dutch forces left Iraq r…
Inter-organisational communication in civil-military cooperation during complex emergencies
This paper seeks to contribute to an improved information management and exchange between humanitarian organisations and military agents in complex emergencies. To do so, a theoretical information management process model was developed and applied to the case of information management between International Security Assistance Force troops and humanitarian organisations such as Cordaid, DACAAR and the International Office for Migration in Kabul, A…
Countering Insurgent-terrorism
History teaches that counterinsurgency and counterterrorism campaigns have never been won through purely military action. Defeating an opponent who avoids open battle, but who uses force to reach his goals, including terrorist action, requires a combination of police, administrative, economic and military measures. As a counterinsurgency campaign should pursue a comprehensive political objective, it requires high levels of civil–military cooperat…
American Visions of the Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia
The result of a Fulbright senior research fellowship celebrating the simultaneous 50th anniversaries of the Fulbright Exchange Foundation and the Indonesian Republic, this book offers a new perspective on American attitudes toward Dutch colonial rule and Indonesia's struggle for independence. Drawing on extensive research in American, Dutch, Indonesian, and Australian diplomatic records and archival documents, as well as the archives of the Unite…
American Visions of the Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia
The result of a Fulbright senior research fellowship celebrating the simultaneous 50th anniversaries of the Fulbright Exchange Foundation and the Indonesian Republic, this book offers a new perspective on American attitudes toward Dutch colonial rule and Indonesia's struggle for independence. Drawing on extensive research in American, Dutch, Indonesian, and Australian diplomatic records and archival documents, as well as the archives of the Unite…
American Visions of the Netherlands East Indies/Indonesia
Department and US intelligence agencies in order to prepare his Master's thesis in history at the University of Groningen. He arrived in Washington in early 1996. In the course of many months of shared daily research at NARA in College Park, Maryland, he became a valued intellectual partner. At a time when I was only beginning to immerse myself in the writing process,Thijs completed his MA thesis.When I read the incremental installments of his sc…
Soldiers and Civil Power
Peace operations became the core focus of many Western armed forces after the Cold War. The wish amongst political and military leaders during the 1990s to hold on to the classical identity of the armed forces as an instrument of force made them pursue a strict separation between military operations and the civilian aspects of peacekeeping, such as policing, administrative functions, and political and societal reconstruction. In his book Soldiers…
Countering Insurgent-terrorism
History teaches that counterinsurgency and counterterrorism campaigns have never been won through purely military action. Defeating an opponent who avoids open battle, but who uses force to reach his goals, including terrorist action, requires a combination of police, administrative, economic and military measures. As a counterinsurgency campaign should pursue a comprehensive political objective, it requires high levels of civil–military cooperat…
Inter-organisational communication in civil-military cooperation during complex emergencies
This paper seeks to contribute to an improved information management and exchange between humanitarian organisations and military agents in complex emergencies. To do so, a theoretical information management process model was developed and applied to the case of information management between International Security Assistance Force troops and humanitarian organisations such as Cordaid, DACAAR and the International Office for Migration in Kabul, A…
A gentle occupation
This article examines the so-called ‘Dutch approach’ to conducting stabilisation operations. The term is mostly used in relation to the mission carried out by the Netherlands armed forces in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province from 2006 to 2010, but actually originates in the Iraqi province of Al Muthanna. Here, a 1350-strong battle group operated from July 2003 until March 2005 as part of the US-led coalition, after which the Dutch forces left Iraq r…
The Pitfalls of Cross-National Comparison in Conflict Research
Professor Joseph Soeters shows admirable ambition in comparing national styles of conflict resolution and is extremely eager to draw historical lessons from such comparative exercises. However, he gets entangled in national mythmaking as he underestimates the complexity of comparative history of this kind. Particularly the establishment of true causal links between national (strategic) cultures and actual tactical behaviour on the ground is far m…
The Use and Abuse of the ‘Dutch Approach’ to Counter-Insurgency
This article argues that there is little evidence supporting the existence of the often praised, and allegedly subtle and successful ‘Dutch approach’ to stabilisation and counter-insurgency operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. It denounces the uncritical use of the term and refutes suggestions of historical and cultural roots to such an approach, for instance in Dutch colonial warfare in the Indonesian archipelago. It concludes by explaining the tr…
Extreem geweld tijdens dekolonisatieoorlogen in vergelijkend perspectief, 1945-1962
thijs brocades zaalberg en bart
Empire's Violent End
In Empire's Violent End , Thijs Brocades Zaalberg and Bart Luttikhuis, along with expert contributors, present comparative research focused specifically on excessive violence in Indonesia, Algeria, Vietnam, Malaysia, Kenya, and other areas during the wars of decolonization . In the last two decades, there have been heated public and scholarly debates in France, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands on the violent end of empire. Nevertheless, th…
The Social Ties that Bind
International cooperation between intelligence services poses a dilemma. It is an important tool in countering today’s complex transnational threats, but at the same time, cooperation is a risky business. Intelligence services can never be sure that a partner will reciprocate in kind. Scholars and practitioners often identify trust as one of the foremost conditions to overcome this dilemma. Yet the notion of trust is seldomly conceptualized in th…
The Forbidden Nazi Metaphor
The so-called ‘forbidden metaphor’ – or ‘the inevitable comparison with the Nazis’ – has played a crucial role in the Dutch debate on atrocities committed during the Indonesian War of Independence. The suggestion of a role reversal from occupied to occupier and from victim to perpetrator often met with angry opposition in retrospective discussions on the war, particularly after a veteran exposed Dutch war crimes in 1969. But to what extent, and i…
Political science (11 works) · Law (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Politics (8 works) · History (6 works) · Military History and Strategy (5 works) · Law (4 works) · Asian Studies and History (3 works) · Colonialism (3 works) · Economic history (3 works)