NCJ Number
212230
Journal
Studies in Conflict & Terrorism Volume: 28 Issue: 6 Dated: November-December 2005 Pages: 481-492
Date Published
November 2005
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article describes Dutch colonial history and the origins of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands, reviews the development of the Moluccan extremists within the Moluccan community, and examines the Dutch Government’s response to the Moluccan terrorist through the development of a counterterrorism policy, “The Dutch Approach.”
Abstract
During the 1970s, in their quest to establish an independent Moluccan state, Moluccan nationalist radicals launched a series of terrorist hostage-taking attacks in the Netherlands to draw attention to this quest. The Dutch Government’s response to these attacks was a counterterrorist strategy known as” The Dutch Approach.” This approach emphasized not giving in to substantial terrorist demands and focused on prolonged negotiations conducted under the supervision of psychologists. This article begins by providing a brief background of Dutch colonial history in the territory of modern-day Indonesia and the origins of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands. It reviews the factors leading to the radicalization elements of the Netherlands’ Moluccan population. It reviews the four major terrorist attacks in the Netherlands by Moluccan terrorist in 1970, 1975, 1977, and 1978 and analyzes the Dutch Government’s response to each crisis. The article concludes with an examination of the Dutch Approach’s strengths and weaknesses and its implications for counterterrorist policy today. 58 Notes