Samen werken aan vrede
Op 22 september treed ik op als moderator bij de lezing “Let’s make peace work” door Rolien Sasse van vredesorganisatie PAX voor het Studium Generale van de Universiteit Twente.
Update (22-9-2026):
Mijn Inleiding
This week is the week of peace and disarmament. In a time of armed conflicts and tensions worldwide this is super relevant.
We are honoured to have Rolien Sasse as our speaker. She is the director of the peace organisation PAX. Last year Sasse has published a nice, concise and powerful book: Peace: what it is, and why it is possible.
I very much recommend this book to everybody.
Everybody wants peace. However, at this moment of war and geopolitical tension, many people may think that at this moment it is too late to rely on peace building as a solution. It seems that we first have to avert the present threats and make an end to existing wars, by military victory, or deterrence. We need to build a strong enough defense force and resilient society first. Emphasising peace may then appear as naive, or even as weak and dangerous, undermining the military’s deterrent effect. I recognise the dilemma. But it is also a dilemma that an arms race may not prevent but provoke war. I think is very important that we recognise that dilemma too.
Is it good or not to engage the whole of society, companies and also our universities for the purpose of defense. To what degree and in what way does cooperation with the military sector match with responsible research and innovation? (How about keeping moral considerations upright against economic considerations? And can we respect and protect colleagues and students with differing and conflicting opinions, values and interest?)
Nice about Sasse’s book is that readers will not at all find the call for peace work naive or weak. It does not start from a position that is pacifistic in an idealistic way that would immediately put off a lot of people. The starting position is the realistic acknowledgment of the present wars and tensions, and that most people in our democratic political landscape think that a defense force is necessary. From there Sasse argues and persuades us to consider that we must not forget that our ultimate goal is peace. And she takes us on a journey, sharing with us her experiences and learnings about conflict management and peace building, in practice and theory.
Aankondiging
dinsdag 22 september 2026 19:30 – 21:00
Onze wereld wordt tegenwoordig geteisterd door talloze oorlogen en conflicten. Hoe kunnen we deze begrijpen, en nog belangrijker: oplossen en voorkomen? PAX is een Nederlandse organisatie die zich inzet voor het beëindigen van gewapende conflicten en het opbouwen van inclusieve vrede. Directeur Rolien Sasse, die veel ervaring heeft in conflictgebieden, publiceerde het boek Vrede. Wat het is en waarom het kan (2025), waarin ze hard power (wapens) onderscheidt van soft power (diplomatie). Soft power wordt vaak over het hoofd gezien, maar is onmisbaar voor duurzame vrede.
Moderator: dr Steven Dorrestijn (Saxion)
Dit programma maakt deel uit van de Nederlandse Vredesweek 2026.
Dit programma is in het Engels.
Gratis toegang, reserveren niet mogelijk.
https://www.utwente.nl/nl/sg/programma/2026/9/996952/maak-vrede-tot-een-succes