PDF hosted at the Radboud Repository of the Radboud University Nijmegen The following full text is a publisher's version. For additional information about this publication click this link. http://hdl.handle.net/2066/208863 Please be advised that this information was generated on 2021-10-04 and may be subject to change. Soldiers in Conflict Moral Injury, Political Practices and Public Perceptions Typography and design: Merel de Hart, Multimedia NLDA, Breda Cover illustration: Mei-Li Nieuwland Illustration (Lonomo), Amsterdam © 2019 Tine Molendijk All rights reserved. No part of this dissertation may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author. ISBN/EAN: 978-94-93124-04-2 Soldiers in Conflict Moral Injury, Political Practices and Public Perceptions Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen op gezag van de rector magnificus prof. dr. J.H.J.M. van Krieken, volgens besluit van het college van decanen in het openbaar te verdedigen op dinsdag 7 januari 2020 om 10:30 uur precies door Tine Molendijk geboren op 23 februari 1987 te Ezinge Promotoren Prof. dr. D.E.M. Verweij Prof. dr. F.J. Kramer Nederlandse Defensie Academie Copromotor Dr. W.M. Verkoren Manuscriptcommissie Prof. dr. M.L.J. Wissenburg Prof. dr. J.J.L. Derksen Prof. dr. J. Duyndam Universiteit voor Humanistiek Dr. E. Grassiani Universiteit van Amsterdam Dr. C.P.M. Klep Universiteit Utrecht Onderzoek voor dit proefschrift werd mede mogelijk gemaakt door de Nederlandse Defensie Academie (NLDA) Contents Contents Contents ..................................................................................................................6 Glossary of Military Terms and Ranks ...................................................................... 13 Maps of Mission Areas ............................................................................................. 14 Contents Part One. Setting the Stage ...................................................................................... 15 Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................ 17 7 Moral Injury: Linking the Moral and the Psychological .............................................. 18 Research Objectives and Questions ......................................................................... 20 Relevance .............................................................................................................. 22 Structure of the Dissertation ................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2. Toward a Broader Theoretical Approach to Moral Distress .....................27 Introduction: ‘Trauma and far more’ ....................................................................... 27 PTSD and Moral Injury ............................................................................................ 28 The Origin and Rise of PTSD .............................................................................. 28 Limitations of PTSD Understandings .................................................................. 30 Moral Injury: Promises and Limitations .............................................................. 32 Toward a Broader Theoretical Approach to Moral Distress ......................................... 35 Issue 1: The Complex Nature of Moral Beliefs ....................................................... 35 Issue 2: Political and Societal Dimensions ........................................................... 38 Chapter 3. Methodological Choices and Considerations ........................................... 43 Epistemological Underpinnings .............................................................................. 43 Research Strategy ................................................................................................... 44 Case Selection: Dutchbat and TFU ........................................................................... 45 Sampling and Data Collection ................................................................................. 47 Sample Selection .............................................................................................. 47 Data Collection ................................................................................................. 47 Existing Information in Literature ................................................................ 48 Interviews ................................................................................................... 48 Self-Conducted Interviews ........................................................................... 48 Interviews Conducted by the Netherlands Veterans Institute ........................... 50 Participant Observation and Other Sources .................................................... 51 The Research Participants ....................................................................................... 51 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................... 52 Credibility and Generalizability ............................................................................... 54 Researcher Role and Issues of Interpretation ............................................................ 54 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................... 56 Part Two. Soldiers in Conflict .................................................................................... 57 Chapter 4. The Missions ........................................................................................... 61 Dutchbat, UNPROFOR ............................................................................................ 61 Task Force Uruzgan, ISAF ........................................................................................ 64 Chapter 5. ‘That’s just the way it is’: Uncomplicated Soldiering ............................... 69 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 69 Contents The Military Profession .......................................................................................... 70 Challenges during Deployment ............................................................................... 72 8 The Joys of Military Practice: No Justification Needed? ......................................... 72 Justifications and Rationalizations ..................................................................... 74 Doing Good ................................................................................................ 74 Rules and Instructions ................................................................................. 75 Reciprocity .................................................................................................. 76 Distancing and Numbing .............................................................................. 77 The Military Profession in Relation to Civil Life ........................................................ 78 Maneuvering Through Tensions .............................................................................. 80 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 82 Chapter 6. Moral Disorientation and Ethical Struggles: Moral Distress at the Individual Level ...................................................................... 85 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 85 Two Stories of Moral Distress .................................................................................. 86 Bob’s Story: Srebrenica ...................................................................................... 87 Niels’ Story: Uruzgan ......................................................................................... 91 Morally Distressing Experiences .............................................................................. 94 Value Conflict ................................................................................................... 94 Moral Overwhelmedness/Detachment ............................................................... 95 Senselessness ................................................................................................... 96 Moral Failure and Moral Disorientation ................................................................... 98 Ethical Struggle ..................................................................................................... 101 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 103 Chapter 7. Political Betrayal and Reparations: Moral Distress in Relation to Political Practices........................................................ 107 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 107 Some General Characteristics of the Missions ........................................................... 108 Dutchbat and TFU .................................................................................................. 111 Dutchbat, UNPROFOR: On the Ground ................................................................ 111 ‘Pretend play’: Powerlessness and