What lessons can be learned about the future of war from the current conflict in Ukraine? On May 14th, international experts from the War Studies field considered the impact of the war in Ukraine on the broader social phenomenon of war during the symposium “Beyond Ukraine: Debating the Future of War”.
Organised by Leiden University’s Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA), the War Studies Research Centre (WSRC) of the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA), the Royal Netherlands Association for War Studies (KVBK) and the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), the symposium brought together experts to analyse visions of future war, examine the impact of technological innovation, assess our ability to anticipate this future, and consider lessons learned for students and practitioners of strategy.
Missed it the first time? Rewatch the full event here:
Program overview
Welcome and introduction by Ernst Dijxhoorn (Assistant Professor in the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University).
Fireside chat about the Future of War with Tim Sweijs and Jeffrey H. Michaels, moderated by Rob de Wijk (Professor of International Relations at Leiden University and founder of HCSS).
Round Table moderated by Isabelle Duyvesteijn (Professor of International Studies and Global History at Leiden University), with:
- Kraesten Arnold (Assistant Professor of Cyber Operations at the Netherlands Defence Academy);
- Marijn Hoijtink (Associate Professor in International Relations at the Department of Political Science at the University of Antwerp);
- Jan Willem Honig (Professor of International Security at the Netherlands Defence Academy);
- Paul van Hooft (Senior Strategic Analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies);
- Frans Osinga (Professor in War Studies at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University)
Beyond Ukraine: Debating the Future of War
This event acted as the official book launch of Beyond Ukraine: Debating the Future of War, edited by Tim Sweijs (HCSS Director of Research and a senior research fellow at the War Studies Research Centre of the Netherlands Defence Academy.) and Jeffrey H. Michaels (IEN Senior Fellow in American Foreign Policy and International Security at the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals).
The edited volume is one of the spinoffs of The Future of War Conference hosted by the War Studies Research Centre at the Netherlands Defence Academy in collaboration with the Changing Character of War Centre of the University of Oxford University in Amsterdam from 5–7 October 2022.
Offering the first comprehensive update and revision of ideas surrounding the future of warfare since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the book includes analyses from renowned international experts from the War Studies field.