Professor Dr. Jan Hoffenaar

Military Historian (Utrecht University and Netherlands Institute for Military History)

”It is the period in which I grew up and which shaped me. Only in retrospect – especially by studying history – did I realise how many images and prejudices I had been brought up with. That is why I love the fact that that Cold War ended so abruptly and I am still able to gain a better understanding of what really took place during this distinct period in history. I regularly travel to countries of the former Warsaw Pact and then feel privileged to be able to learn directly about how people, governments, armed forces experienced the Cold War and the transition to new political, social and military relations. This has also taught me, in general, as long as I do not have a clear picture of what is going on, to take a position in contemporary conflicts with some restraint.“