This book advances an interdisciplinary understanding of moral injury by analyzing the stories of military veterans of combat and peace missions. In the past decade, the concept of moral injury has emerged to address the potential moral impact of deployment. This book contributes to an interdisciplinary conceptualization of moral injury while, at the same time, critically evaluating the concept’s premises and implications. It paints an urgent and compassionate picture of the moral impact of soldiers’ deployment experience and the role of political practices and public perceptions in moral injury. It does so by drawing on the experiences of close to a hundred Dutch veterans deployed to Bosnia (Srebrenica) and Afghanistan, and analyzing their stories from the perspectives of psychology, philosophy, theology and social sciences. Ultimately, this book advances the understanding of moral, political and societal dimensions of moral injury and contributes to practical efforts aimed at its prevention. This book will be of much interest to students of ethics and war, cultural anthropology, conflict studies and international relations.

This book advances an interdisciplinary understanding of moral injury by analyzing the stories of military veterans of combat and peace missions. In the past decade, the concept of moral injury has emerged to address the potential moral impact of deployment. This book contributes to an interdisciplinary conceptualization of moral injury while, at the same time, critically evaluating the concept's premises and implications. It paints an urgent and compassionate picture of the moral impact of soldiers' deployment experience and the role of political practices and public perceptions in moral injury. It does so by drawing on the experiences of close to a hundred Dutch veterans deployed to Bosnia (Srebrenica) and Afghanistan, and analyzing their stories from the perspectives of psychology, philosophy, theology and social sciences. Ultimately, this book advances the understanding of moral, political and societal dimensions of moral injury and contributes to practical efforts aimed at its prevention. This book will be of much interest to students of ethics and war, cultural anthropology, conflict studies and international relations.

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.