ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Peter van Uhm - General
General Peter van Uhm is the Chief of the Netherlands Defence staff.

Why you should listen

General Petrus J.M. "Peter" van Uhm is a four-star general in the Royal Netherlands Army and the current Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff. He has had an outstanding carrer over four decades in the Dutch military.

In the Netherlands, he is know from his personal tragedy. On 18 April 2008, one day after Van Uhm was appointed Chief Defence Staff, his son First Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm was killed in a roadside bombing in Uruzgan. Van Uhm’s incredibly dignified and human response has astounded many. 

More profile about the speaker
Peter van Uhm | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxAmsterdam

Peter van Uhm: Why I chose a gun

Filmed:
3,639,817 views

Peter van Uhm is the Netherlands' chief of defense, but that does not mean he is pro-war. In this talk, he explains how his career is one shaped by a love of peace, not a desire for bloodshed -- and why we need armies if we want peace.
- General
General Peter van Uhm is the Chief of the Netherlands Defence staff. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
As the highest military commander
0
0
3000
00:18
of The Netherlands,
1
3000
2000
00:20
with troops stationed around the world,
2
5000
3000
00:23
I'm really honored
3
8000
2000
00:25
to be here today.
4
10000
2000
00:27
When I look around
5
12000
2000
00:29
this TEDxAmsterdam venue,
6
14000
2000
00:31
I see a very special audience.
7
16000
4000
00:35
You are the reason
8
20000
2000
00:37
why I said yes to the invitation
9
22000
3000
00:40
to come here today.
10
25000
3000
00:44
When I look around,
11
29000
2000
00:46
I see people
12
31000
2000
00:48
who want to make a contribution,
13
33000
2000
00:50
I see people
14
35000
2000
00:52
who want to make a better world,
15
37000
3000
00:55
by doing groundbreaking scientific work,
16
40000
3000
00:58
by creating impressive works of art,
17
43000
4000
01:02
by writing critical articles
18
47000
2000
01:04
or inspiring books,
19
49000
3000
01:07
by starting up sustainable businesses.
20
52000
3000
01:10
And you all have chosen
21
55000
3000
01:13
your own instruments
22
58000
2000
01:15
to fulfill this mission
23
60000
2000
01:17
of creating a better world.
24
62000
3000
01:20
Some chose the microscope
25
65000
2000
01:22
as their instrument.
26
67000
2000
01:24
Others chose dancing or painting
27
69000
3000
01:27
or making music like we just heard.
28
72000
3000
01:30
Some chose the pen.
29
75000
3000
01:33
Others work through the instrument of money.
30
78000
4000
01:37
Ladies and gentlemen,
31
82000
2000
01:39
I made a different choice.
32
84000
3000
01:55
Thanks.
33
100000
2000
02:00
Ladies and gentlemen --
34
105000
3000
02:03
(Laughter)
35
108000
3000
02:06
(Applause)
36
111000
4000
02:11
I share your goals.
37
116000
3000
02:14
I share the goals
38
119000
2000
02:16
of the speakers you heard before.
39
121000
4000
02:20
I did not choose
40
125000
3000
02:23
to take up the pen,
41
128000
3000
02:26
the brush, the camera.
42
131000
4000
02:30
I chose this instrument.
43
135000
4000
02:34
I chose the gun.
44
139000
3000
02:37
For you, and you heard already,
45
142000
3000
02:40
being so close to this gun
46
145000
3000
02:43
may make you feel uneasy.
47
148000
4000
02:47
It may even feel scary.
48
152000
2000
02:49
A real gun
49
154000
2000
02:51
at a few feet's distance.
50
156000
3000
02:54
Let us stop for a moment
51
159000
2000
02:56
and feel this uneasiness.
52
161000
3000
02:59
You could even hear it.
53
164000
3000
03:02
Let us cherish the fact
54
167000
2000
03:04
that probably most of you
55
169000
3000
03:07
have never been close to a gun.
56
172000
3000
03:10
It means
57
175000
2000
03:12
The Netherlands is a peaceful country.
58
177000
3000
03:15
The Netherlands is not at war.
59
180000
3000
03:18
It means soldiers are not needed
60
183000
3000
03:21
to patrol our streets.
61
186000
3000
03:24
Guns are not a part of our lives.
62
189000
4000
03:28
In many countries
63
193000
3000
03:31
it is a different story.
64
196000
3000
03:34
In many countries
65
199000
2000
03:36
people are confronted with guns.
66
201000
2000
03:38
They are oppressed.
67
203000
2000
03:40
They are intimidated --
68
205000
3000
03:43
by warlords,
69
208000
2000
03:45
by terrorists,
70
210000
2000
03:47
by criminals.
71
212000
2000
03:49
Weapons can do a lot of harm.
72
214000
3000
03:52
They are the cause
73
217000
2000
03:54
of much distress.
74
219000
2000
03:56
Why then am I standing before you
75
221000
2000
03:58
with this weapon?
76
223000
3000
04:01
Why did I choose the gun
77
226000
2000
04:03
as my instrument?
78
228000
3000
04:06
Today I want to tell you why.
79
231000
2000
04:08
Today I want to tell you
80
233000
2000
04:10
why I chose the gun
81
235000
2000
04:12
to create a better world.
82
237000
2000
04:14
And I want to tell you
83
239000
2000
04:16
how this gun can help.
84
241000
3000
04:20
My story starts
85
245000
3000
04:23
in the city of Nijmegen
86
248000
3000
04:26
in the east of The Netherlands,
87
251000
3000
04:29
the city where I was born.
88
254000
4000
04:33
My father
89
258000
2000
04:35
was a hardworking baker,
90
260000
4000
04:39
but when he had finished work in the bakery,
91
264000
3000
04:42
he often told me and my brother stories.
92
267000
4000
04:46
And most of the time,
93
271000
2000
04:48
he told me this story I'm going to share with you now.
94
273000
4000
04:52
The story of what happened
95
277000
2000
04:54
when he was a conscripted soldier
96
279000
3000
04:57
in the Dutch armed forces
97
282000
2000
04:59
at the beginning of the Second World War.
98
284000
3000
05:02
The Nazis invaded The Netherlands.
99
287000
3000
05:05
Their grim plans were evident.
100
290000
3000
05:08
They meant to rule
101
293000
2000
05:10
by means of repression.
102
295000
3000
05:13
Diplomacy had failed to stop the Germans.
103
298000
4000
05:17
Only brute force remained.
104
302000
4000
05:21
It was our last resort.
105
306000
3000
05:24
My father was there
106
309000
2000
05:26
to provide it.
107
311000
2000
05:28
As the son of a farmer
108
313000
2000
05:30
who knew how to hunt,
109
315000
2000
05:32
my father was an excellent marksman.
110
317000
3000
05:35
When he aimed,
111
320000
2000
05:37
he never missed.
112
322000
2000
05:39
At this decisive moment in Dutch history
113
324000
3000
05:42
my father was positioned
114
327000
3000
05:45
on the bank of the river Waal
115
330000
2000
05:47
near the city of Nijmegen.
116
332000
3000
05:50
He had a clear shot at the German soldiers
117
335000
3000
05:53
who came to occupy a free country,
118
338000
3000
05:56
his country,
119
341000
2000
05:58
our country.
120
343000
2000
06:00
He fired. Nothing happened.
121
345000
3000
06:03
He fired again.
122
348000
2000
06:05
No German soldier fell to the ground.
123
350000
4000
06:09
My father had been given
124
354000
2000
06:11
an old gun
125
356000
2000
06:13
that could not even reach
126
358000
2000
06:15
the opposite riverbank.
127
360000
3000
06:18
Hitler's troops marched on,
128
363000
3000
06:21
and there was nothing my father could do about it.
129
366000
4000
06:26
Until the day my father died,
130
371000
3000
06:29
he was frustrated about missing these shots.
131
374000
4000
06:33
He could have done something.
132
378000
3000
06:36
But with an old gun,
133
381000
2000
06:38
not even the best marksman in the armed forces
134
383000
3000
06:41
could have hit the mark.
135
386000
3000
06:44
So this story stayed with me.
136
389000
3000
06:47
Then in high school,
137
392000
2000
06:49
I was gripped by the stories
138
394000
2000
06:51
of the Allied soldiers --
139
396000
3000
06:54
soldiers who left the safety of their own homes
140
399000
4000
06:58
and risked their lives
141
403000
2000
07:00
to liberate a country and a people
142
405000
3000
07:03
that they didn't know.
143
408000
3000
07:06
They liberated my birth town.
144
411000
3000
07:09
It was then that I decided
145
414000
3000
07:12
I would take up the gun --
146
417000
3000
07:15
out of respect and gratitude
147
420000
3000
07:18
for those men and women
148
423000
2000
07:20
who came to liberate us --
149
425000
3000
07:23
from the awareness
150
428000
2000
07:25
that sometimes only the gun
151
430000
3000
07:28
can stand
152
433000
2000
07:30
between good and evil.
153
435000
3000
07:33
And that is why
154
438000
2000
07:35
I took up the gun --
155
440000
2000
07:37
not to shoot,
156
442000
2000
07:39
not to kill,
157
444000
2000
07:41
not to destroy,
158
446000
2000
07:43
but to stop those who would do evil,
159
448000
4000
07:47
to protect the vulnerable,
160
452000
3000
07:50
to defend democratic values,
161
455000
3000
07:53
to stand up for the freedom we have
162
458000
3000
07:56
to talk here today
163
461000
2000
07:58
in Amsterdam
164
463000
2000
08:00
about how we can make the world a better place.
165
465000
3000
08:03
Ladies and gentlemen,
166
468000
2000
08:05
I do not stand here today
167
470000
3000
08:08
to tell you about the glory of weapons.
168
473000
3000
08:11
I do not like guns.
169
476000
4000
08:15
And once you have been under fire yourself,
170
480000
4000
08:19
it brings home even more clearly
171
484000
3000
08:22
that a gun is not some macho instrument
172
487000
3000
08:25
to brag about.
173
490000
3000
08:28
I stand here today
174
493000
2000
08:30
to tell you about the use of the gun
175
495000
2000
08:32
as an instrument of peace and stability.
176
497000
3000
08:38
The gun may be one of the most important instruments
177
503000
2000
08:40
of peace and stability
178
505000
2000
08:42
that we have in this world.
179
507000
2000
08:44
Now this may sound contradictory to you.
180
509000
4000
08:48
But not only have I seen with my own eyes
181
513000
5000
08:53
during my deployments in Lebanon,
182
518000
2000
08:55
Sarajevo and [unclear] national
183
520000
2000
08:57
as The Netherlands' chief of defense,
184
522000
3000
09:00
this is also supported
185
525000
2000
09:02
by cold, hard statistics.
186
527000
4000
09:06
Violence has declined dramatically
187
531000
3000
09:09
over the last 500 years.
188
534000
3000
09:12
Despite the pictures
189
537000
2000
09:14
we are shown daily in the news,
190
539000
3000
09:17
wars between developed countries
191
542000
2000
09:19
are no longer commonplace.
192
544000
3000
09:22
The murder rate in Europe
193
547000
2000
09:24
has dropped by a factor of 30
194
549000
2000
09:26
since the Middle Ages.
195
551000
2000
09:28
And occurrences of civil war and repression
196
553000
3000
09:31
have declined since the end of the Cold War.
197
556000
3000
09:34
Statistics show
198
559000
2000
09:36
that we are living
199
561000
2000
09:38
in a relatively peaceful era.
200
563000
2000
09:40
Why?
201
565000
2000
09:42
Why has violence decreased?
202
567000
3000
09:45
Has the human mind changed?
203
570000
3000
09:48
Well we were talking on the human mind this morning.
204
573000
3000
09:51
Did we simply lose our beastly impulses
205
576000
3000
09:54
for revenge,
206
579000
2000
09:56
for violent rituals,
207
581000
2000
09:58
for pure rage?
208
583000
3000
10:01
Or is there something else?
209
586000
3000
10:04
In his latest book,
210
589000
2000
10:06
Harvard professor Steven Pinker --
211
591000
2000
10:08
and many other thinkers before him --
212
593000
2000
10:10
concludes that one of the main drivers
213
595000
5000
10:15
behind less violent societies
214
600000
3000
10:18
is the spread of the constitutional state
215
603000
3000
10:21
and the introduction on a large scale
216
606000
3000
10:24
of the state monopoly
217
609000
2000
10:26
on the legitimized use of violence --
218
611000
3000
10:29
legitimized by a democratically elected government,
219
614000
6000
10:35
legitimized by checks and balances
220
620000
3000
10:38
and an independent judicial system.
221
623000
4000
10:42
In other words, a state monopoly
222
627000
3000
10:45
that has the use of violence
223
630000
3000
10:48
well under control.
224
633000
3000
10:51
Such a state monopoly on violence,
225
636000
3000
10:54
first of all, serves
226
639000
2000
10:56
as a reassurance.
227
641000
2000
10:58
It removes the incentive
228
643000
2000
11:00
for an arms race
229
645000
2000
11:02
between potentially hostile groups
230
647000
2000
11:04
in our societies.
231
649000
2000
11:06
Secondly, the presence of penalties
232
651000
3000
11:09
that outweigh the benefits of using violence
233
654000
3000
11:12
tips the balance even further.
234
657000
3000
11:15
Abstaining from violence
235
660000
2000
11:17
becomes more profitable
236
662000
2000
11:19
than starting a war.
237
664000
3000
11:22
Now nonviolence starts to work
238
667000
3000
11:25
like a flywheel.
239
670000
3000
11:28
It enhances peace even further.
240
673000
3000
11:31
Where there is no conflict,
241
676000
2000
11:33
trade flourishes.
242
678000
3000
11:36
And trade is another important incentive
243
681000
2000
11:38
against violence.
244
683000
3000
11:41
With trade, there's mutual interdependency
245
686000
3000
11:44
and mutual gain between parties.
246
689000
4000
11:48
And when there is mutual gain,
247
693000
2000
11:50
both sides stand to lose more
248
695000
2000
11:52
than they would gain
249
697000
2000
11:54
if they started a war.
250
699000
3000
11:57
War is simply
251
702000
2000
11:59
no longer the best option,
252
704000
3000
12:02
and that is why violence has decreased.
253
707000
5000
12:07
This, ladies and gentlemen,
254
712000
2000
12:09
is the rationale behind the existence
255
714000
3000
12:12
of my armed forces.
256
717000
3000
12:15
The armed forces
257
720000
2000
12:17
implement the state monopoly on violence.
258
722000
3000
12:20
We do this in a legitimized way
259
725000
3000
12:23
only after our democracy has asked us
260
728000
4000
12:27
to do so.
261
732000
2000
12:29
It is this legitimate,
262
734000
3000
12:32
controlled use of the gun
263
737000
3000
12:35
that has contributed greatly
264
740000
2000
12:37
to the statistics of war,
265
742000
2000
12:39
conflict and violence
266
744000
2000
12:41
around the globe.
267
746000
2000
12:43
It is this participation in peacekeeping missions
268
748000
3000
12:46
that has led to the resolution
269
751000
2000
12:48
of many civil wars.
270
753000
3000
12:51
My soldiers use the gun
271
756000
3000
12:54
as an instrument of peace.
272
759000
4000
12:58
And this is exactly why failed states
273
763000
3000
13:01
are so dangerous.
274
766000
2000
13:03
Failed states
275
768000
2000
13:05
have no legitimized, democratically controlled use of force.
276
770000
4000
13:09
Failed states do not know of the gun
277
774000
3000
13:12
as an instrument of peace and stability.
278
777000
4000
13:16
That is why failed states
279
781000
2000
13:18
can drag down a whole region
280
783000
2000
13:20
into chaos and conflict.
281
785000
3000
13:23
That is why spreading the concept
282
788000
2000
13:25
of the constitutional state
283
790000
2000
13:27
is such an important aspect
284
792000
2000
13:29
of our foreign missions.
285
794000
3000
13:32
That is why
286
797000
2000
13:34
we are trying to build a judicial system
287
799000
2000
13:36
right now in Afghanistan.
288
801000
3000
13:39
That is why we train police officers,
289
804000
3000
13:42
we train judges,
290
807000
2000
13:44
we train public prosecutors around the world.
291
809000
3000
13:47
And that is why --
292
812000
2000
13:49
and in The Netherlands, we are very unique in that --
293
814000
3000
13:52
that is why the Dutch constitution states
294
817000
3000
13:55
that one of the main tasks
295
820000
2000
13:57
of the armed forces
296
822000
2000
13:59
is to uphold and promote
297
824000
2000
14:01
the international rule of law.
298
826000
3000
14:05
Ladies and gentlemen,
299
830000
2000
14:07
looking at this gun,
300
832000
2000
14:09
we are confronted
301
834000
2000
14:11
with the ugly side of the human mind.
302
836000
3000
14:15
Every day I hope
303
840000
2000
14:17
that politicians, diplomats,
304
842000
2000
14:19
development workers
305
844000
2000
14:21
can turn conflict
306
846000
2000
14:23
into peace
307
848000
2000
14:25
and threat
308
850000
2000
14:27
into hope.
309
852000
2000
14:29
And I hope that one day
310
854000
2000
14:31
armies can be disbanded
311
856000
2000
14:33
and humans will find a way of living together
312
858000
3000
14:36
without violence and oppression.
313
861000
4000
14:40
But until that day comes,
314
865000
3000
14:43
we will have to make ideals
315
868000
3000
14:46
and human failure
316
871000
3000
14:49
meet somewhere in the middle.
317
874000
2000
14:51
Until that day comes,
318
876000
3000
14:54
I stand for my father
319
879000
2000
14:56
who tried to shoot the Nazis
320
881000
3000
14:59
with an old gun.
321
884000
2000
15:01
I stand for my men and women
322
886000
3000
15:04
who are prepared to risk their lives
323
889000
3000
15:07
for a less violent world for all of us.
324
892000
4000
15:11
I stand for this soldier
325
896000
3000
15:14
who suffered partial hearing loss
326
899000
3000
15:17
and sustained permanent injuries to her leg,
327
902000
3000
15:20
which was hit by a rocket
328
905000
3000
15:23
on a mission in Afghanistan.
329
908000
4000
15:27
Ladies and gentlemen,
330
912000
2000
15:29
until the day comes
331
914000
2000
15:31
when we can do away with the gun,
332
916000
3000
15:34
I hope we all agree
333
919000
3000
15:37
that peace and stability
334
922000
2000
15:39
do not come free of charge.
335
924000
3000
15:42
It takes hard work,
336
927000
3000
15:45
often behind the scenes.
337
930000
3000
15:48
It takes good equipment
338
933000
2000
15:50
and well-trained, dedicated soldiers.
339
935000
4000
15:54
I hope you will support the efforts
340
939000
2000
15:56
of our armed forces
341
941000
2000
15:58
to train soldiers
342
943000
2000
16:00
like this young captain
343
945000
2000
16:02
and provide her with a good gun,
344
947000
3000
16:05
instead of the bad gun my father was given.
345
950000
3000
16:08
I hope you will support our soldiers
346
953000
3000
16:11
when they are out there,
347
956000
3000
16:14
when they come home
348
959000
2000
16:16
and when they are injured
349
961000
2000
16:18
and need our care.
350
963000
2000
16:20
They put their lives on the line,
351
965000
2000
16:22
for us, for you,
352
967000
3000
16:25
and we cannot let them down.
353
970000
4000
16:29
I hope you will respect my soldiers,
354
974000
4000
16:33
this soldier with this gun.
355
978000
3000
16:36
Because she wants a better world.
356
981000
4000
16:40
Because she makes an active contribution
357
985000
2000
16:42
to the better world,
358
987000
3000
16:45
just like all of us here today.
359
990000
3000
16:48
Thank you very much.
360
993000
2000
16:50
(Applause)
361
995000
14000

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Peter van Uhm - General
General Peter van Uhm is the Chief of the Netherlands Defence staff.

Why you should listen

General Petrus J.M. "Peter" van Uhm is a four-star general in the Royal Netherlands Army and the current Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff. He has had an outstanding carrer over four decades in the Dutch military.

In the Netherlands, he is know from his personal tragedy. On 18 April 2008, one day after Van Uhm was appointed Chief Defence Staff, his son First Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm was killed in a roadside bombing in Uruzgan. Van Uhm’s incredibly dignified and human response has astounded many. 

More profile about the speaker
Peter van Uhm | Speaker | TED.com