"Creating Visions of Future War" is an innovative project designed to engage students in speculative fiction writing about the future of warfare. This initiative, a collaboration between the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) and The Institute for History, aims to enhance students' creative and critical thinking skills while providing fresh perspectives for military and government professionals.

Through a structured programme, students will participate in a workshop led by Dr Malte Riemann, Dr Lukas Milevski, and a professional fiction writer with experience in TV and Film production. These workshops will cover narrative development, real-life-world-building, and the unique challenges of writing about future conflicts. Following the workshop phase, students will develop their fictional accounts with continuous support from Dr Riemann, Dr Milevski, and the writer.

The project will culminate in a final workshop where students present their projects to a panel of military and government professionals. This panel will evaluate the narratives based on strategic insight, selecting the best works for publication in The Netherlands Journal of War Studies (or similar outlet). Additionally, Dr Riemann and Dr Milevski will develop a teaching-and-learning-based article that will discuss the findings of this project and submit it to a peer-reviewed academic journal

"Creating Visions of Future War" enhances student employability by developing a broad range of transferable skills and also provides valuable professional engagement and networking opportunities.

Project Description

The "Creating Visions of Future War" project aims to explore and visualise potential future scenarios of warfare through creative writing, leveraging the imaginative potential of students to create compelling narratives. These narratives will serve as thought-provoking material for military and government professionals, providing them with fresh perspectives on the future of war and conflict.

Background and Rationale

The evolving nature of warfare necessitates forward-thinking and innovative approaches to understand its future implications. By engaging students in creative writing, the project will harness their imaginative potential to explore such implications. These narratives will offer military and government professionals new insights into these futures, helping to broaden their strategic perspectives.

Project activities

The project will begin with recruitment and orientation (Month 1-2), announcing the project within ISGA and The Institute for History, selecting students through an application process, and hosting an orientation session. Next, a series of 4 half-day workshops with a professional fiction writer will be organised (Month 3), covering narrative development, real-life-world-building, and the unique challenges of writing about future conflicts. During the writing and development phase (Month 6-9), students will work on their fictional accounts with continuous support from Dr Riemann, Dr Milevski and the writer. The final workshop and evaluation (Month 10) will involve students presenting their projects to a panel of military and government professionals, followed by facilitated discussions to evaluate the narratives. The best works will be selected for publication. Finally, the publication and dissemination phase (Month 11-12) will involve editing and compiling the selected works for publication in the The Netherlands Journal of War Studies or similar outlet.

Expected outcomes

The project will produce a collection of well-developed, speculative narratives on the future of warfare, enhancing students' creative writing and critical thinking skills. The project aims to enhance students' understanding of narrative development and speculative fiction, encouraging them to envision and articulate future scenarios of warfare. It will facilitate professional engagement and networking oppportunities by fostering interaction between students of two different faculties, a professional writer, academics from two different facultues, and experts in military and government. Additionally, the best student works will be published in The Netherlands Journal of War Studies (or similar outlet), ensuring dissemination and impact.

Interdisciplinary collaboration

This project fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between the Institute for History and ISGA by integrating historical analysis, speculative fiction, and security studies. By leveraging the historical expertise of the Institute for History, students will ground their creative narratives in a deep understanding of past conflicts and their evolution. This historical perspective enriches the speculative fiction component, allowing students to craft more plausible and contextually rich future scenarios of warfare. Concurrently, ISGA's focus on contemporary security studies ensures that these narratives address current strategic concerns and future security challenges. Both, Dr. Milevski and Dr. Riemann have experience in interdisciplinarity aimed at bridging history and contemporary security as evidenced by their publications (e.g. Dr Milevski has written about the historical development and future trends of grand strategy and Dr Riemann about the comparison of past and present mercenary forces)

Student Development

The "Creating Visions of Future War" project significantly enhances student employability by developing a broad range of transferable skills. Through speculative thinking and envisioning complex future scenarios, students cultivate creative and critical thinking abilities essential in innovation and strategic planning. Workshops with a professional fiction writer enhance their narrative and communication skills, crucial for careers in public relations, journalism, and public policy. The process of creating informed and plausible future scenarios requires thorough research and analytical thinking, preparing students for research-intensive roles and evidence-based decision-making. Collaboration during workshops and peer review sessions fosters teamwork, essential in all professional environments. Managing their narratives from conception to completion teaches project management skills, vital for efficiently managing tasks and achieving objectives in any career path. Interaction with military and government professionals during the final workshop provides exposure to professional critique and real-world expectations, enhancing their understanding of professional standards and practices. This networking can open doors to future career opportunities and provide valuable mentorship, ensuring students are well-prepared for success in various professional contexts.

Evaluation and Impact Assessment

Evaluation of the project will include collecting feedback from students on the educational value and experience, conducting a professional panel review to evaluate the narratives based on creativity, plausibility, and strategic insight, and the published student works.
The two principal investigators will develop a teaching and learning based article that will discuss the findings of this project and submit it to a peer-reviewed academic journal (target is International Studies Perspectives, OUP)

Sustainability and Future Directions

This pilot project aims to establish a framework that can be expanded and repeated in the future. Successful implementation will pave the way for subsequent editions, potentially involving a broader range of participants and more extensive collaborations with additional institutions and experts, and possibly the development of an elective course. This can also promote internationalisation through cooperation with Universities outside NL. The plan is to build on this initial grant to apply for future grants (such as comenius).

• war and peace

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