My stay at the University of Amsterdam
When Willem moved in 1983 as full professor to the University of Amsterdam (UvA), I followed him with my research project on Political Decision Making which I had to finish in the spring of 1984. To my great astonishment the atmosphere in this department was anything but scientific. A longhaired guy, who still seemed to live in the aftermath of the student revolt of the late sixties, controlled everything. He spread fear among the other staff members, who on the other hand did not give each other the light from the sun. The computer room was the reign of a strange creature who did not speak, but barked as a mad dog. Now I understood what Jean Paul Sartre meant by “the hell are the others”!
Ignoring this ambient of hatred and intrigues, as good as I could, I worked on my research project. Sometimes when I passed the corridor, the longhaired boss or one of his vassals tried to sound me out about Willem´s activities, but I blocked the conversation. Although I avoided the hall, during 6 weeks I was plagued by the feeling as if lice or fleas were running all over my body. Finally I went to the doctor and he explained me that I was hyperventilating because of stress.
Ignoring this ambient of hatred and intrigues, as good as I could, I worked on my research project. Sometimes when I passed the corridor, the longhaired boss or one of his vassals tried to sound me out about Willem´s activities, but I blocked the conversation. Although I avoided the hall, during 6 weeks I was plagued by the feeling as if lice or fleas were running all over my body. Finally I went to the doctor and he explained me that I was hyperventilating because of stress.
Notwithstanding the problems in the department we continued with our research. We decided to hold a small conference on different text analysis procedures for political decision making and give a course about the current discussion of the deployment of cruise missiles in Europe.
The decision analysis seminar
We invited 4 scholars who were experts in this field. Stephen Walker explained us the Operational Code, which investigates the general belief system of a decision maker. This approach relates to specific traits of a politician, e.g., whether he is more inclined to cooperation or to conflict. Matthew Bonham and Michael Shapiro explained us Cognitive Mapping, which investigates the causal believes of a politician relating to a specific political situation. Zeev Maoz, with his Multiple Paths to Choice approach, was closer to our procedure, but allowed for more inferences than we extracted from the documents. Thereafter we analysed the same document with the different instruments and concluded to make a reader in which we illustrated these approaches. Apart from the work the participants enjoyed it to be in Amsterdam and we finished the conference with a candlelight dinner in an elegant hotel along a canal.
The decision analysis seminar
We invited 4 scholars who were experts in this field. Stephen Walker explained us the Operational Code, which investigates the general belief system of a decision maker. This approach relates to specific traits of a politician, e.g., whether he is more inclined to cooperation or to conflict. Matthew Bonham and Michael Shapiro explained us Cognitive Mapping, which investigates the causal believes of a politician relating to a specific political situation. Zeev Maoz, with his Multiple Paths to Choice approach, was closer to our procedure, but allowed for more inferences than we extracted from the documents. Thereafter we analysed the same document with the different instruments and concluded to make a reader in which we illustrated these approaches. Apart from the work the participants enjoyed it to be in Amsterdam and we finished the conference with a candlelight dinner in an elegant hotel along a canal.
Data collection for the course on the deployment of cruise missiles in Europe
By the end of 1983, after contacting the department of International Relations, which cooperated with our activity, I started to collect public documents about the debate on the deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe. We had to gather data of arguments for and against the deployment. The US embassy in The Hague was very helpful. When I had heard that President Reagan made somewhere a speech about this topic I just called the cultural attaché and within some days he provided me with a copy of the text. Before Christmas we went to Bonn in Germany to obtain documents of the Green party. These young people, whose slogan was “better red than dead” had written a lot about the subject and were very glad to share with us their documents. Bonn was already in the Christmas atmosphere. The main square was dominated by a huge, illuminated pine tree. Stalls selling Christmas decorations were grouped around it and Christmas carols contributed to the festive atmosphere.
As Willem mentioned in an earlier story, we went to a movie theatre on the square which showed the film: The day after. Having seen this movie we were very horrified about the consequences of a nuclear war and the Christmas atmosphere outside appeared to us like an absurd happening.
By the end of 1983, after contacting the department of International Relations, which cooperated with our activity, I started to collect public documents about the debate on the deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe. We had to gather data of arguments for and against the deployment. The US embassy in The Hague was very helpful. When I had heard that President Reagan made somewhere a speech about this topic I just called the cultural attaché and within some days he provided me with a copy of the text. Before Christmas we went to Bonn in Germany to obtain documents of the Green party. These young people, whose slogan was “better red than dead” had written a lot about the subject and were very glad to share with us their documents. Bonn was already in the Christmas atmosphere. The main square was dominated by a huge, illuminated pine tree. Stalls selling Christmas decorations were grouped around it and Christmas carols contributed to the festive atmosphere.
As Willem mentioned in an earlier story, we went to a movie theatre on the square which showed the film: The day after. Having seen this movie we were very horrified about the consequences of a nuclear war and the Christmas atmosphere outside appeared to us like an absurd happening.
The course on the deployment of cruise missiles
Around 20 enthusiastic students of international relations subscribed for the course. Most of them were leftish and took part on the peace demonstrations. They were jumping on the texts to study them in their way. They confused political action with scientific research. We had to restrain their enthusiasm because first we had to teach them how to take arguments out of the text. Thereafter we made groups of two students who had to study the arguments for and against the deployment for different time periods in the Netherlands and in Germany. Willem, I and a long term assistant of me accompanied the different groups in their efforts. Sometimes they quarrelled so much about the search of arguments that our assistant declined to work with them any more. So I had to supervise also these pugnacious groups. Occasionally I was shocked about their approach which was according to me more directed on action than on a scientific analysis. But somehow I managed to deliver together with them papers based on views of different political groups. However, most of the students performed reasonably well.
Around 20 enthusiastic students of international relations subscribed for the course. Most of them were leftish and took part on the peace demonstrations. They were jumping on the texts to study them in their way. They confused political action with scientific research. We had to restrain their enthusiasm because first we had to teach them how to take arguments out of the text. Thereafter we made groups of two students who had to study the arguments for and against the deployment for different time periods in the Netherlands and in Germany. Willem, I and a long term assistant of me accompanied the different groups in their efforts. Sometimes they quarrelled so much about the search of arguments that our assistant declined to work with them any more. So I had to supervise also these pugnacious groups. Occasionally I was shocked about their approach which was according to me more directed on action than on a scientific analysis. But somehow I managed to deliver together with them papers based on views of different political groups. However, most of the students performed reasonably well.
Guest lecturers
One of the students, the nephew of the minister of defence at the time, Job de Ruiter, was quite a character. Almost every day he approached me very amiably and tried to indoctrinate me about the arguments of different factions of communists from abroad. When I asked him about the texts, he warned me that they were forbidden in The Netherlands and he had received them secretly. When I gave him some counter-arguments, he told me that I was talking like his uncle. “Why don´t we invite him to give us a talk ?”, he spontaneously asked me. I immediately agreed and to my surprise the minister of defence indeed came to the university for a public speech and delivered his point of view. Although the students favoured other opinions, they enjoyed the attention of the minister.
One of the students, the nephew of the minister of defence at the time, Job de Ruiter, was quite a character. Almost every day he approached me very amiably and tried to indoctrinate me about the arguments of different factions of communists from abroad. When I asked him about the texts, he warned me that they were forbidden in The Netherlands and he had received them secretly. When I gave him some counter-arguments, he told me that I was talking like his uncle. “Why don´t we invite him to give us a talk ?”, he spontaneously asked me. I immediately agreed and to my surprise the minister of defence indeed came to the university for a public speech and delivered his point of view. Although the students favoured other opinions, they enjoyed the attention of the minister.
During the seminar we invited also Dick Leurdijk, the expert on this topic of Clingendael, a think tank for international relations.
For the final meeting we invited the charismatic leader of the party D66, Hans van Mierlo. The party leader of D66 was for the students not an obvious choice and so they were convinced that we were affiliated with this party. When we denied this, they hardly could believe it.
The results
Although Willem and I liked this adventure with this class, we were worried about the level of the papers the students had made and were wondering whether the colleague at the International Relations department would let them pass. So I phoned him. He laughed and said very friendly: “Don´t worry, all will pass!
We did not trust the quality of the work the students had done and did not dare to publish anything on the basis of their analysis. We thought that we would have to repeat the whole analysis before something could be published. This was very unfortunate given the amount of time we spent on this seminar and the relevance of the topic.
For the final meeting we invited the charismatic leader of the party D66, Hans van Mierlo. The party leader of D66 was for the students not an obvious choice and so they were convinced that we were affiliated with this party. When we denied this, they hardly could believe it.
The results
Although Willem and I liked this adventure with this class, we were worried about the level of the papers the students had made and were wondering whether the colleague at the International Relations department would let them pass. So I phoned him. He laughed and said very friendly: “Don´t worry, all will pass!
We did not trust the quality of the work the students had done and did not dare to publish anything on the basis of their analysis. We thought that we would have to repeat the whole analysis before something could be published. This was very unfortunate given the amount of time we spent on this seminar and the relevance of the topic.