How do you keep the peace when everyone is preparing for war? More weapons, stronger armies, higher defence budgets: as tensions rise around the world, security increasingly dominates the political agenda. But while we invest in preparing for war, what does it take to preserve peace? Does military strength actually make us safer, and what else can prevent violence before it begins? Join security expert Martijn Kitzen and PAX director Rolien Sasse as they explore how peace can be protected, and built, in an increasingly unstable world.
From Ukraine and the Middle East to growing geopolitical tensions elsewhere, war has returned to the forefront of public debate. Discussions often focus on military strength, deterrence and defence. But security is about more than being prepared to fight. What causes conflicts to escalate in the first place? When does deterrence work and when does it make tensions worse? And what can governments, international organizations and citizens do to prevent violence?
In this lecture, Martijn Kitzen and Rolien Sasse approach these questions from two different but complementary perspectives. As chair of the war studies department at the Netherlands Defence Academy and professor of war studies at Leiden University, Kitzen examines how contemporary conflicts develop, how military power is used and what this means for international security. Rolien Sasse, director of Dutch peace organization PAX, brings years of experience in conflict-affected regions and argues that security cannot be achieved through military means alone.
Bringing these perspectives together opens up a conversation that goes beyond the familiar choice between being “for” or “against” military power. What can peacebuilding and military strategy learn from each other? What lessons can we draw from today’s conflicts? And in a world investing heavily in defence, are we investing enough in preventing the wars we are preparing to fight?
Join this timely conversation on one of the most pressing questions of our time: how do we keep peace when the world is at war?
Martijn Kitzen holds the chair in irregular warfare and special operations at the Netherlands Defence Academy where he also heads the war studies department. Additionally, he is a professor by special appointment in war studies at Leiden University. His research and teaching focus on irregular warfare in fragmented societies with a particular interest in the way special operations forces can be deployed in such an environment. Martijn has published extensively about these topics and most recently co-edited the books The Conduct of War in the 21st Century and Into the Void: Special Operations Forces after the War on Terror.
Rolien Sasse is director of PAX, the largest peace organization in the Netherlands. She has lived and worked in conflict-affected regions around the world for many years. These experiences have shaped her conviction that the black-and-white narratives about war and peace that often dominate public debate fail to reflect the complexity of reality. According to Sasse, simply investing more in weapons is not the path to lasting peace. Instead, there are many other ways to prevent conflict, strengthen security, and build sustainable peace.
About PAX
PAX works to protect civilians from the violence of war, to end armed conflict, and to help build inclusive and sustainable peace. The organization works with local partners and communities in conflict-affected regions around the world, striving for societies in which people can live safely and with dignity.
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