Dutch limited-war policy in Aceh was the political and military approach advocated by Jan van Swieten for Aceh: obtain security and acknowledged Dutch supremacy without immediate direct administration or indiscriminate destruction.
Use in the source
Van Swieten attributed the original approach to discussions with I. D. Fransen van de Putte and James Loudon. He held that Acehnese self-defence should not be punished by burning settlements or devastating fields, and that the Dutch should let non-belligerent people distinguish themselves from war leaders. The argument is a primary-source position, not an objective description of Dutch policy.
Significance
Understanding this term is necessary for reading the political relationships recorded during the Aceh War.
See Also
Source
De waarheid over onze vestiging in Atjeh: met eene kaart van Atjeh en een plan van den Kraton, by J. van Swieten (Zalt-Bommel: Joh. Noman en Zoon, 1879), pp. pp. 1–8, 272–416.