Violence in Extreme Conditions: Ethical Challenges in Military Practice

As an organization operating under extreme conditions, the military is often confronted with destructive behavior from individuals, organizations, and societies. Written by experts from a variety of disciplines, this open access book reflects on confrontations with violence under extreme conditions and the various challenges that arise.

By examining real first-hand accounts of soldiers’ deployments, the contributions shed new light on the multifaceted and sometimes hidden dynamics of destructive violent behavior and offer an ethical reflection on military practices. In addition, they address topics such as moral decision-making in violent contexts, military trauma, organizational change, and military ethics education.

The interdisciplinary exploration of these topics has been the primary focus of Désirée Verweij, who was the Chair of Military Ethics at the Netherlands Defence Academy from 2008 to 2021. The contributions in this book are written in honor of her scholarly achievements and help to ensure that these important issues continue to receive attention. The book will appeal to scholars of military studies, organizational studies and military ethics, and to professionals and decisionmakers in military organizations.

Eric-Hans Kramer is a Professor of Management and Organization Studies at the Netherlands Defense Academy. Before that, he was an Associate Professor of Human Factors and Systems Safety at the same organization. He is currently working on several research projects concerning organizational issues in the military.

Tine Molendijk is an interdisciplinary-minded cultural anthropologist specialized in the areas of violence, military culture and mental health, in particular post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and moral injury. Her PhD research focused on the role of political practices and public perceptions in moral injury in Bosnia and Afghanistan veterans. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Military Sciences at the Netherlands Defense Academy (NLDA) and a Research Fellow affiliated with Radboud University, the Netherlands. Her publications include the award-winning book Moral Injury and Soldiers in Conflict: Political Practices and Public Perceptions (Routledge, 2021).