zondag, februari 21, 2010
Dutch Government Collapses Over Its Stance on Troops for Afghanistan
last-ditch effort to keep Dutch troops in Afghanistan brought down the governing coalition in the Netherlands early Saturday, immediately raising fears that the Western military coalition fighting the war is increasingly at risk.“If the Dutch go, which is the implication of all this, that could open the floodgates for other Europeans to say, ‘The Dutch are going, we can go, too,’ ” said Julian Lindley-French, professor of defense strategy at the Netherlands Defense Academy in Breda. “The implications are that the U.S. and the British are going to take on more of the load.”
The collapse of the Dutch government comes as the Obama administration continues to struggle to get European allies to commit more troops to Afghanistan to bolster its attempts to win back the country from a resurgent Taliban. President Obama has made the Afghan war a cornerstone of his foreign policy and, after months of debate, committed tens of thousands more American troops to the effort.
Read more >> | The New York Times
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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zaterdag, februari 20, 2010
Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan
he Dutch government collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning over Labour's insistence that the Netherlands pull out of Afghanistan this year.After two days of intensive talks and a bitter parliamentary debate, it had become increasingly clear the gulf between prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos was too great to bridge.
Labour leader Bos stated earlier this week that he wanted a decision on Nato's request to the Netherlands to stay in Afghanistan at Friday's cabinet meeting. And that decision would have to be a no, he said repeatedly.
Balkenende said he wanted to keep all options open and was sticking to the March 1 deadline.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan
See also >> | Dutch cabinet, Balkenende's fourth, collapses - NRC-Hamdelsblad
See also >> | Dutch government falls over Afghanistan mission
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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donderdag, februari 18, 2010
Emergency debate on Afghanistan today
rime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and deputy premier Wouter Bos will debate the future of the Dutch mission in Afghanistan in parliament this afternoon, as speculation grows that the cabinet is about to collapse.The debate was called by Socialist Party leader Agnes Kant, who said she wanted to get to the bottom of the mixed messages being sent out by ministers.
Labour party leader Wouter Bos said on Wednesday he will categorically not support any extension to the Dutch mission in Afghanistan, despite the formal request by Nato. And he wants minister to say a final no to Nato after Friday's cabinet meeting.
But Balkenende wants Dutch soldiers to stay on past August to train local forces. 'All options are open,' the Christian Democratic party leader said.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Emergency debate on Afghanistan today
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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Cabinet in crisis over Afghanistan
he future of the coalition government is in doubt on Thursday morning, after Labour leader and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos said he would definitely not support a continuation of the Dutch mission in Afghanistan, despite a Nato request.Newspapers are united that the government is in trouble. 'The cabinet is in crisis, the collapse nears' is the headline in the Telegraaf following yesterday's ministerial meeting at which Bos restated his position.
'The last solider must have left Uruzgan at the end of the year. We are keeping our promise to the man in the street,' Bos told reporters after the meeting.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Cabinet in crisis over Afghanistan
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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woensdag, februari 17, 2010
Dutch PM survives motion of no confidence
an Peter Balkenende has enough support in parliament to stay in office, but his problems are far from over.For the first time in Dutch parliamentary history on Tuesday, a prime minister was confronted with a motion of no confidence that targeted him personally. Opposition members of parliament accused Jan Peter Balkenende of undermining public trust in the government.
The Christian democratic prime minister survived the motion though, as a majority of the lower house still supports him: the motion was rejected 96 to 40.
Tuesday's parliamentary debate over the findings of a special committee that investigated the reasoning behind the Dutch support for the US led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was special for another reason. The meeting closed the book on the issue after seven years, sixteen debates and ten motions that asked for an inquiry into the Dutch involvement and the Davids report that resulted from it.
Read more >> | NRC- Handelsblad International
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak onderzoek, Iraq
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The Kingdom and the Afghan Chaos
n his quest to stabilize his country, Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai, dressed in white robes, arrived last week in Mecca on what can only be called a diplomatic pilgrimage. Although Karzai undoubtedly spent time praying at Islam’s holiest site, his mission was intended to prove more than his piety.So what diplomatic or financial gain was Karzai seeking? Why travel to Saudi Arabia at the very moment that US President Barack Obama’s military surge has become operational? Can Saudi Arabia play a serious role in resolving his country’s increasingly bloody conflict?
By Mai Yamani
Read more >> | The Kingdom and the Afghan Chaos - Project Syndicate
Labels: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, islam, Taliban
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Labour says final 'no' to Afghanistan
abour leader Wouter Bos has said a final no to any further role for Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan, forcing a potential cabinet crisis.Nato has asked the Netherlands to stay past the August 2010 deadline in a training role. But, after a meeting with other ministers on Wednesday morning, Bos said Labour would definitely oppose an extension to the Dutch mission at Friday's cabinet meeting.
Bos said his no vote is keeping the Labour party's promise to voters. 'That means there must be a negative response to Nato's request. That decision can be taken on Friday,' he said.
Bos refused to say if the decision meant the cabinet was close to collapse.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Labour says final 'no' to Afghanistan
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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zaterdag, februari 13, 2010
Nato troop request sparks political row
conflict has again erupted in the Dutch governing coalition over the Afghanistan mission.The Dutch governing coalition partners, Christian democrat CDA and Labour, have always disagreed on the best approach for Afghanistan and the role of the Dutch military there. Following an official request by Nato to extend the Dutch deployment in the war-torn country, two ministers are now involved in a public quarrel. Finance minister Wouter Bos and foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen have accused each other of disregard for the cabinet’s position on the matter.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Nato troop request sparks political row
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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vrijdag, februari 12, 2010
Ministers clash over Nato Afghanistan letter
oreign minister Maxime Verhagen and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos appear to be heading for a showdown over Nato's call for the Netherlands to stay longer in Afghanistan.Bos, who is leader of the Labour party, and the Christian Democrat Verhagen both outlined their position on different tv talk shows on Thursday night.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Ministers clash over Nato Afghanistan letter
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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donderdag, februari 11, 2010
Training Afghan soldiers can be a violent endeavour
he Dutch government is divided about extending its military presence in Afghanistan. Sending instructors to train Afghan soldiers is an option under consideration. But training and fighting go hand in hand.Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Features - Training Afghan soldiers can be a violent endeavour
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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woensdag, februari 10, 2010
U.S. Eyes Tougher Sanctions Over Iran Nuclear Program
he Obama administration is working on a series of sanctions that would take aim at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran, publicly singling out the organization’s vast array of companies, banks and other entities in an effort to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.Senior White House officials described what they said would be a “systematic” effort to drive a wedge between the Iranian population and the Revolutionary Guards, which the West says is responsible for running Iran’s nuclear program and has a record of supporting militant Islamist organizations and cracking down on antigovernment protesters.
Read more >> | The New York Times
Labels: Foreign Policy, Iran, Nuclear energy, Nuclear weapons, United States
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dinsdag, februari 09, 2010
Nato chief: Afghanistan is only the beginning
ato has to play a bigger role in the world by collaborating with countries outside the alliance, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told NRC Handelsblad. "Security is unimaginable without partners."Nato secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen is the first to admit the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation has problems. For years, the alliance has underestimated the complexity of war and now it is also facing financial issues.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Features - Nato chief: Afghanistan is only the beginning
Labels: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, NATO
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Cabinet admits Iraq war mistakes
he cabinet has admitted MPs could have been better informed about security service 'doubts and conjectures' about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the 2003 invasion.And, in their formal response to last month's highly critical Davids commission report, ministers say they should have been more open about the US request for assistance prior to the war.
The Netherlands supported the invasion politically on the grounds that Saddam Hussein was breaking UN resolutions but did not send troops.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Cabinet admits Iraq war mistakes
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak crisis, Iraq
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Europe loses seat at top table
n Washington they're not sure who's in charge. In Brussels they're squabbling. Ian Traynor reports on the EU's crisis of confidenceRead more >> | The Guardian
See also >> | Tough snub - ECFR
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, United States
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maandag, februari 08, 2010
Nato suggests Afghan training role
hristian Democrat and Labour MPs both support a suggestion by a Nato chief that Dutch soldiers remain in Afghanistan to train local troops, most newspapers report on Monday.Labour has always been adamant that the Netherlands must start pulling out its forces in August, despite mounting pressure from the US and other allies for the Dutch to stay.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Nato suggests Afghan training role
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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vrijdag, februari 05, 2010
Cabinet reaches compromise on Afghanistan
inisters have reached a compromise on extending the Dutch mission in Afghanistan past the August deadline, magazine Elsevier reports on its website, quoting cabinet sources.The magazine says the proposal, which involves staying in Afghanistan with a much smaller force, will be discussed by the full cabinet on Friday.
DutchNews.nl - Cabinet reaches compromise on Afghanistan
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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woensdag, februari 03, 2010
US blames Lisbon Treaty for EU summit fiasco
he US State Department has said that President Barack Obama's decision not to come to an EU summit in Madrid in May is partly due to confusion arising from the Lisbon Treaty.State department spokesman Philip J. Crowley told press in Washington on Tuesday (2 February) that the treaty has made it unclear who the US leader should meet and when.
"Up until recently, they [summits] would occur on six-month intervals, as I recall, with one meeting in Europe and one meeting here. And that was part of – the foundation of that was the rotating presidency within the EU. Now you have a new structure regarding not only the rotating EU presidency, you've got an EU Council president, you've got a European Commission president," he said.
Read more >> | EUobserver / US blames Lisbon Treaty for EU summit fiasco
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, United States
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No US-EU summit in May
S dashes Spanish plans for Madrid summit this spring.The US government has confirmed that President Barack Obama will not meet EU leaders in Madrid this spring as planned by Spain, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency.
Philip Gordon, the assistant secretary of state in charge of relations with Europe, told reporters in Washington yesterday (1 February) that Obama “never had on his schedule a trip for a spring US-EU summit” and that a summit in Spain “was not on his agenda in the first place”.
Read more >> | No US-EU summit in May | Policies | Foreign affairs | Americas | European Voice
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, United States
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maandag, februari 01, 2010
Debating Defense
dozen international think tanks are organizing a worldwide on-line debate, to be held from February 4-9, in association with NATO, the European Commission, and several governments. The debate will be open not just to defense experts, but also to non-governmental organizations, development specialists, and anyone with views on where global security thinking should be headed.The five-day Internet debate will include 10 topics, ranging from human rights to piracy, from crisis preparedness to climate change, and from development to conflict prevention. Discussion will be sparked by on-line appearances by top military, political, and civil-society leaders, who will debate with participants. Anyone interested in taking part can log on from anywhere in the world to pose questions or comment on what is being said, but they need first to sign up at www.securityjam.org.
Read more >> | Project Syndicate - Debating Defense
Posted using ShareThis
Labels: EU Policy, European Union, Foreign Policy, NATO
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Dutch minister: 'Don’t confuse integration with assimilation'
ntegration should not be confused with assimilation, the Netherlands’ European affairs minister said. “You can ask people to change their attitude according to social requirements, but you cannot ask them to change who they are,” Frans Timmermans said Wednesday, speaking with press at a roundtable meeting in Ankara.Read more >>| Dutch minister: 'Don’t confuse integration with assimilation' - Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, integratie, Integration, Turkey
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The future of Dutch foreign policy
he investigation into the reasoning behind the Dutch support for the US-UK invasion of Iraq may well mark a post-Cold War turning point for Dutch foreign policy. The days of the taken-for-granted US-European relationship are over.One significant finding of the investigation into the reasoning behind the Dutch support for the US-UK invasion of Iraq, published earlier this month, was the decisive role of the ‘Atlantic reflex’. The committee chaired by former supreme court judge Willibrord Davids concluded the ministry of foreign affairs had treated the question primarily as an issue of alliance with its strongest international partner, rather than an issue to be decided on merits of international law.
Read on >> | nrc.nl - International - Opinion - The future of Dutch foreign policy
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak crisis, Irak onderzoek, United States
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donderdag, januari 28, 2010
US NATO envoy urges Dutch to remain in south Afghanistan
he US envoy to NATO has urged the Netherlands to keep its troops in volatile southern Afghanistan, saying that 2010 is a pivotal year for the international military effort there.Ambassador Ivo Daalder praised Dutch troops for their work in Uruzgan province helping to improve the lives of some 360,000 people, and urged the government not to pull forces out just as they are having an impact.
Read more >> | AFP Google News
Labels: Afghanistan, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, NATO
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zondag, januari 24, 2010
Dutch PM: Chávez’s allegations "pure fiction"
he Dutch Prime Minister has hit back at the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez over accusations that the Netherlands is helping to stage a military strike against his country.During an exclusive television interview with Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Jan Peter Balkenende dismissed as pure fiction Mr Chávez’s allegations that US war planes were being deployed in the neighbouring Dutch Antilles as part of a planned attack.
Read more >> | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Labels: Balkenende, Chavez, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy
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donderdag, januari 21, 2010
A Cool Head for the Hottest Issues
Obama inherited a terrible legacy – recession, financial meltdown, Iraq, Afghanistan. He has not solved all of these problems. But it is difficult to see any really bad mistakes, except perhaps allowing himself to be pushed around by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and giving China the impression that he was prepared for a bilateral relationship entirely on China’s terms.That seems to be changing now. Obama may have come to understand that when you are the leader of the world’s only superpower, you need to be feared just a little if you are to be respected.
By Chris Patten
Project Syndicate - A Cool Head for the Hottest Issues
Labels: Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, United States
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woensdag, januari 20, 2010
Update on Google/China-ology
wo belated points about the still-unfolding Google/China saga, and then one reader message.Point one: "soft power" - or lack thereof. In the immediate aftermath of Google's decision, there was assorted mild carping from Western observers about what Google's motivation "really" was. Were they escaping a bad business situation? (no), were they just trying to score PR points in the rest of the world? (not really), was there some other motivation apart from the stated one of exasperation at dealing with the intrusions and harassments inside China?
By James Fallows
Read more >> | Update on Google/China-ology
Labels: China, Foreign Policy, Google
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An imminent revolution in Dutch foreign aid?
report published earlier this week by a government think tank is welcomed by right-wing liberal Arend Jan Boekestijn.On Monday, the WRR, a Dutch government think tank, presented its long awaited and highly critical report on foreign aid to minister Bert Koenders.
Arend Jan Boekestijn
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Opinion - An imminent revolution in Dutch foreign aid?
Labels: Development aid, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy
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dinsdag, januari 19, 2010
The European grill
very EU presidency, however carefully planned, always comes up against an unexpected crisis that puts its real capacity for active response to the test. As the Spanish presidency begins, Haiti has become the first test case of the EU's capacity for coordinated foreign policy action.As opposed to the bureaucratic and technical squabbles that have dominated discussion in recent months, we now have a real opportunity to see how coordination is going to work between the stable presidency and the rotational one. At the immediate subpresidential level, on the one side we have Lady Ashton and the Belgian Karel de Gucht; on the other, the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister María Teresa Fernández de la Vega and the secretary of state for cooperation, Soraya Rodríguez.
Read more >> | The European Council on Foreign Relations | The European grill
Labels: European Commission, European Union, Foreign Policy, Haïti
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Report on foreign aid finds policy too pretentious
he development of a nation is only marginally dependent on foreign aid, states a report by a government think tank that argues for a more modest policy.Does foreign aid help countries develop? Or does it have the opposite effect? The question is not new, but the debate surrounding it has become almost religious in nature as of late, with believers on both sides proclaiming their own dogmatic truths – both in the Netherlands and elsewhere.
The report Less Pretentious, More Ambitious reads as an attempt to bring the debate back down to earth. High time, according to the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR), a government think thank that produced the 352-page report that was published this Monday.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Report on foreign aid finds policy too pretentious
Labels: Development aid, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy
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maandag, januari 18, 2010
Dutch should focus aid on 10 countries
he Netherlands should overhaul the way it structures its development aid programme and focus specialist attention on 10 countries, according to a new report by the government's scientific council for government policy WWR.In order to do this, the government could set up its own umbrella organisation of experts, as the US and Britain have done the WWR said. Aid should be focused on actual development, based on a country's specific situation.
The report, entitled Less Pretention, more Ambition, has been two years in the making.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Dutch should focus aid on 10 countries: report
See also >> | WRR Report
Labels: Development aid, Dutch politics, Foreign Policy
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zondag, januari 17, 2010
Straw privately warned Blair that Iraq invasion was legally dubious
etter to PM from foreign secretary challenged gravity of threat from Saddam in lead-up to pivotal meeting with BushJack Straw privately warned Tony Blair that an invasion of Iraq was legally dubious, questioned what such action would achieve, and challenged US claims about the threat from Saddam Hussein, it was revealed today
Read more >> | The Guardian
Labels: Foreign Policy, Irak crisis, Irak onderzoek, Iraq, United Kingdom, United Nations
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Be Like Reagan
n Iran, Obama should talk about democracy and support the demonstrators—but give the regime a chance to negotiate.Iran is the new Eastern Europe during the last phase of the Cold War. Like Poland during the heady days of Solidarity in the early 1980s, the protestors in the streets of Iranian cities are not crazed ethnics demonstrating on behalf of some illiberal blood-and-soil nationalism, but enlightened, technologically savvy multitudes crying out for universal values of democracy and human rights. As such, they have captured the imagination of liberal intellectuals in the West.
By Robert D. Kaplan
Be Like Reagan - The Atlantic
(January 16, 2010)
Labels: Foreign Policy, Iran
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vrijdag, januari 15, 2010
Prime minister disgraced, governing coalition strained
he Labour party (PvdA) emerged victorious from political scuffles surrounding the Iraq inquiry report. But it may yet pay a price.Deputy prime minister Wouter Bos was finally allowed to address parliament an hour after midnight during the debate Wednesday night. Until then, the leader of Dutch Labour party PvdA had sat silently beside prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende, his head bowed modestly, constantly fidgeting with his Blackberry. The body language of the leaders of the two largest governing parties revealed a fissure between them that words did not express.
Bos’ Labour party, PvdA, was trying hard not to wallow too much in its victory, striving to remain cool and collected, and not aggravate the prime minister’s Christian democrat CDA party any further.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Background - Prime minister disgraced, governing coalition strained
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak onderzoek, Iraq
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donderdag, januari 14, 2010
International law took back seat to politics
nternational law was sacrificed to political interests. Don't pretend otherwise.Anyone who believed international law had an influence on issues of war and peace is an illusion poorer after the report of the Davids commission on the Dutch support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2002, international law carried no weight in the Dutch political capital, The Hague, we discovered yesterday. Legal arguments were subordinated to political interests. According to the commission, there was no adequate legal mandate for the military operation. The legal argument that was employed by the Netherlands “could not be defended”. And there was also no thorough or real legal preparation. At the ministry of Foreign Affairs, moreover, officials were radically divided on the matter, an “extremely unfortunate” state of affairs.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Opinion - International law took back seat to politics
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak crisis, Irak onderzoek, Iraq, United Nations
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woensdag, januari 13, 2010
Report answers questions on Iraq
id the British trick the Dutch after the invasion? Questions answered about the Iraq-report.Willibrord Davids was the chairman of the special committee of inquiry charged with the investigation of the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He is also a master of understatement. When he presented his report to prime-minister Jan Peter Balkenende on Tuesday, he dryly pointed out that the “sturdy tome” he bore had only one thing in common with a liber amicorum or festschrift, a gift commonly presented to friends in academic circles singing praises of its recepient: the element of surprise.
The report answers several questions that have burned on many a politician’s lips for years. Below, four of the foremost.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Features - Report answers questions on Iraq
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak onderzoek, Iraq, United Nations
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dinsdag, januari 12, 2010
Iraq war was illegal, Dutch panel rules
nquiry says conflict had no sound mandate in international law as it emerges UK denied key letter to seven-judge tribunalThe war in Iraq had "no basis in international law", a Dutch inquiry found today, in the first ever independent legal assessment of the decision to invade.
In a series of damning findings, a seven-member panel in the Netherlands concluded that the war, which was supported by the Dutch government following intelligence from Britain and the US, had not been justified in law.
Read more >> | The Guardian
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak onderzoek, Iraq, United Kingdom, United Nations
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Prime minister disagrees with Iraq report
rime minister Jan Peter Balkenende does not agree with a number of the conclusions of the Davids' commission report which heavily criticised the way the government came to support the invasion of Iraq in 2003.The prime minister told a news conference late on Tuesday afternoon that parliament was fully informed about the Americans' request for help in preparing the invasion. The report said MPs had not been kept in touch with all developments.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Prime minister disagrees with Iraq report
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak onderzoek, Iraq, United Nations
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Dutch government misrepresented case for Iraq war
he Dutch government was less than truthful in presenting its case for the invasion of Iraq to parliament, a report released on Tuesday noted.A special committee of inquiry established by prime minister Jan-Peter Balkenende has come to these conclusions after conducting an investigation into the run-up to the invasion that took several months. The committee, chaired by retired Dutch supreme court judge Willibrord Davids, found no evidence supporting the oft-reported rumour that the Dutch offered clandestine military support in the invasion.
Read more >> | nrc.nl - International - Dutch government misrepresented case for Iraq war
See also >> | Conclusions and summay in English
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Irak onderzoek, Iraq, United Nations, United States
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Government slammed over Iraq war support
nited Nations resolutions on Saddam Hussein's weapons programme were not a sufficient mandate to justify the invasion of Iraq by the US and Britain, a Dutch government committee said on Tuesday.The committee was set up last year to investigate the Dutch position, following mounting pressure from MPs and the press. The Netherlands gave political but not military support to the 2003 invasion, a decision largely based on claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Those claims later turned out to be false.
The report contains a long list of criticisms of the government of the day - a coalition between the Christian Democrats and free market Liberals VVD.
Read more >> | DutchNews.nl - Government slammed over Iraq war support
See also >> | Conclusions and summay in English
Labels: Dutch politics, Foreign Policy, Iraq, United Nations, United States
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donderdag, januari 07, 2010
Europe’s Troublesome Neighbors
eography has dealt Europe a mixed hand. Europeans can congratulate themselves on being a relatively safe distance away from whatever tensions may accompany the rise of powers like India, Brazil, and, especially, China. But Europe is bordered to its south and east by two great regions that give cause for significant concern.Neither Russia nor the Islamic world is, thus far, adapting well to globalization. The economies of both remain over-dependent on oil and gas exports. In the Middle East, this exacerbates the problem of creating jobs for ballooning populations of young adults. Russia, too, faces real demographic difficulties, though in the other direction as Russia’s population is projected to shrink by as much as 10% over the next 15 or 20 years.
By Nick Witney
Read more |Project Syndicate - Europe’s Troublesome Neighbors
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, Middle East, Project Syndicate, Sovjet Union
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maandag, januari 04, 2010
A Time of Tests
his is a tough time to be a decision-maker. We live in an era of low predictability. The world appears in constant flux. The challenges are immense. And most of all, there is, in many instances a clash between the correct short term politics and the correct long term policy.On the economy, the climate debate and security, the immediate pressures pretty much run one way: increase the role of government in the economy; put the climate deal off to more congenial financial times; and get out of substantial military commitment to fighting global terrorism. Yet in each case the right long-term policy almost certainly points to the opposite course.
What is the way to bridge this gap between short and long term? To decide how to do that is to decide fundamentally what we believe in and what we want from our future.
Tony Blair
Read more | Project Syndicate - A Time of Tests
Labels: 2010, Climate Change, Economy, Foreign Policy, Project Syndicate
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maandag, december 28, 2009
Afghanistan: What Could Work
ool poker-players, we are tempted to believe, only raise or fold: they only increase their bet or leave the game. Calling, making the minimum bet to stay, suggests that you can't calculate the odds or face losing the pot, and that the other players are intimidating you. Calling is for children. Real men and women don't want to call in Afghanistan: they want to dramatically increase troops and expenditure, defeat the Taliban, and leave. Or they just want to leave. Both sides—the disciples of the surge and the apostles of withdrawal—therefore found some satisfaction in one passage in President Obama's speech at West Point on December 1:I have determined that it is in our vital national interest to send an additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home.
But the rest left them uneasy. This was not, as they might have imagined, because he was lurching between two contradictory doctrines of increase and withdrawal, but because the rest of his speech argued for a radically different strategy—a call strategy—which is about neither surge nor exit but about a much-reduced and longer-term presence in the country. The President did not make this explicit. But this will almost certainly be the long-term strategy of the US and its allies. And he has with remarkable courage and scrupulousness articulated the premises that lead to this conclusion. First, however, it is necessary to summarize the history of our involvement and the conventional policies that have long favored surge and exit.
By Rory Stewart
Read more | Afghanistan: What Could Work - The New York Review of Books
Labels: Afghanistan, Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, United Kingdom, United Nations, United States
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maandag, december 14, 2009
Press briefing of former Nato Commander de Kruif
he former Nato Commander to southern Afghanistan, the Dutch Maj. Gen. Mart de Kruif conducted a press briefing at the Pentagon to discuss his experiences leading 40,000 coalition troops in southern Afghanistan from November 2008-November 2009. See also | C-Span Pentagon briefing
Labels: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, NATO
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zondag, oktober 11, 2009
Obama Nobel Peace Price for opposing nuclear weapons
he Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Price to President Obama, explicitly for opposing and aiming to get rid of all nuclear weapons.Labels: Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, Nuclear weapons, United States
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vrijdag, juli 03, 2009
Positive upcomming visit Obama to Moscow
he mood of the upcomming US President Obama visit to Moscow is positive on Rusia Today.Labels: Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, Russia, United States
- posted by DD @ 12:30 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
zondag, mei 10, 2009
Russians believe in Conspiracy against Obama by Nato
n a broadcast by Russia Today it is suggested that the radical change in US policy after Obama took over from George Bush is confronted with opposition from Nato hardliners and that they plot against President Obama.At least what can be said about this conspiracy theory is that it shows the way Russians are thinking. Allways there is a conspiracy around the corner when they there is a change in policy they can not comprehend.
Fact is that under George Bush, most Nato countries were very unhappy with radical US policies and that they welcomed the change of policies with te comming of president Obama.
Labels: Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, Russia
- posted by DD @ 1:34 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
donderdag, januari 29, 2009
Obama at the Pentagon: "Difficult dicisions ahead"
irst visit of Commander in chief at the Pentagon.Labels: Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, United States
- posted by DD @ 9:51 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
dinsdag, januari 27, 2009
Obama's first interview to Al-Arabiya TV
resident Obama to the Al-Arabiya tv network on Middle-East policy.Part 1
Part 2
Labels: Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, Middle East, United States
- posted by DD @ 11:40 AM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
zondag, januari 25, 2009
Moïsi on the new America
eknown French intellecual on the new American foreign policy. Labels: Barack Obama, European Union, Foreign Policy, United States
- posted by DD @ 6:22 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
zondag, juli 06, 2008
The Problem Iran
eymour Hersh on the latest developments in the US policies towards Iran and the risk of war. The Bush administration wants, before their term ends, to end the nuclear program of Iran, or destroy it by bombing their nuclear facilities.Report
Part 1 Seymour Hersh interview
Part 2
Part 3
Labels: Foreign Policy, Iran, United States
- posted by DD @ 12:24 AM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
dinsdag, juli 01, 2008
Cheney in search for a Casus Belli with Iran
tar reporter Seymour Hersh from The New Yorker writes in this weeks issue about the "preparing of the battlefield" by means of secret operations in Iran, conducted by the White House. He describes the growing concern of political leaders inside congress of the secret way the White House is dealing with the Iran issue.Vice- president Dick Cheney is said to look actively for a Casus Belli.
Read the article in The New Yorker and view here an interview with Hersh on his latest scoop.
Labels: Foreign Policy, Iran, United States
- posted by DD @ 4:29 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
donderdag, juni 26, 2008
Russian President Medvedev interview before EU summit
ust before a Russian EU summit starts, the new Russian President Medvedev gives an interview about himself, the relations with the EU and his economic plans with Russia.See also: EU and Russia try to inject energy into mutual ties - EU Observer
And here the entire interview in three parts:
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, Russia
- posted by DD @ 10:39 AM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
vrijdag, maart 28, 2008
Reactions to Fitna
n reaction to Fitna the Movie the Dutch media are reporting reactions. See the English language pages of Radio Netherlands and NRC Handelsblad.A video portret of the Netherlands by Radio Netherlands:
Labels: Foreign Policy, islam, Terrorisme, Tweede Kamer
- posted by DD @ 12:37 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Fitna - The Movie by Wilders released
eert Wilders, a Dutch right wing parliamentarian, released a long expected and much debated movie on the internet. Wilders, a controversial politician, attacks in the movie the Islam as violent and claims that the Islam has to be seen as a political ideology. The Dutch Prime Minister condemned the movie as an unnecessary provocation. The main TV channels refused to air his film, so Wilders released it by Internet.Labels: Foreign Policy, islam, Tweede Kamer
- posted by DD @ 12:18 AM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
dinsdag, maart 04, 2008
Verlies Nederlanderschap bij lid terroristische organisatie
inister Hirsch Balin van Justitie zei vanmiddag tijdens overleg in de Tweede Kamer dat in de toekomst ook bij lidmaatschap van een terroristische organisatie het Nederlanderschap ontnomen kan worden, zoals dit nu al het geval is als men in krijgsdienst treed bij een vijandelijke mogendheid.Hirsch Balin deed deze uitspraak in overleg over de Turkse dienstplicht voor Turkse Nederlanders. Als Nederlanders van Turkse afkomst kiezen voor een dubbele nationaliteit, dienen zij volgens de Turkse wet ook daar de dienstplicht te vervullen. Ook als zij in Nederland beroepsmilitair zijn. Minister Verhagen van Buitenlandse Zaken ziet er niet veel heil in om nogmaals bij de Turkse regering te vragen deze regeling af te schaffen. Op aandringen van de Tweede Kamer zei hij wel toe nog een poging te wagen.
De regering ziet bij de huidige stand van zaken geen probleem met de plicht van individuen om in Navo land Turkije de dienstplicht te moeten vervullen. Ook al gezien de mogelijkheden die er zijn om er onderuit te komen. Zo kan de dienstplicht voor 6.000 euro afgekocht worden en kunnen de diensplichtigen ook altijd af zien van de Turkse nationaliteit.
Labels: Foreign Policy, Politiek, Tweede Kamer
- posted by DD @ 6:26 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
woensdag, februari 13, 2008
Minister wil unaniem standpunt EU na onafhankelijkheid Kosovo
Den Haag |
e moet er toch niet aan denken dat Europa verdeeld zal zijn na het uitroepen van de onafhankelijkheid komend weekeinde", verzuchtte Minister van Middelkoop tijdens overleg in de Tweede Kamer.Kamerlid van Bommel (SP) intervenieerde vinnig met de constatering dat Europa al verdeeld is. Hij haalde de verklaring van Cyprus aan, waarin de Cyprioten onomwonden stellen dat zij niet tot erkenning van Kosovaarse onafhankelijkheid over zullen gaan.
Kosovo staat sinds 1999 onder tijdelijk VN-bestuur. De Europese Unie zal naar verwachting grote delen van de taken van de VN overnemen in de EULEX Kosovo missie, die volgens de minister een forse missie zal zijn. De minister noemde de kwestie Kosovo een "bloedserieus probleem dat voor Europa van groot belang is." Ook Nederland zal voorzichtig moeten opereren, waarbij het niet verstandig is nu al een positie over de onafhankelijkheid in te nemen, aldus de minister.
Het Kamerlid van Bommel (SP) was de enig die al stelling nam. Hij constateerde dat de EU al verdeeld is en dat de Verenigde Staten al bij 100 landen steun hebben gevonden voor erkenning van Kosovaarse onafhankelijkheid. De herkozen President van Servië Tadic zal onafhankelijkheid niet accepteren, aldus van Bommel. Verder gaat er een precedentwerking van uit en moet volgens van Bommel de VN route gevolgd worden. Hij meent danook dat Nederland de onafhankelijke staat Kosovo niet moet erkennen.
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, Kosovo, Tweede Kamer
- posted by DD @ 4:45 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Mogelijke militaire missie naar Tsjaad
Den Haag |
inister van Middelkoop van Defensie hield nadrukkelijk de mogelijkheid open dat Nederland deel zal gaan nemen aan een militaire missie in Tsjaad.De Europese ministers van Buitenlandse zaken besloten op 28 januari tot het zenden van een EVDB- operatie in Tsjaad en de Centraal-Afrikaanse Republiek. Het is de bedoeling dat er 4700 troepen heen gaan, waarvan in ieder geval 2000 Fransen. Hun taak zal zijn de hulp organisaties van de Verenigde Naties bij te staan en te beschermen.
Nederland wil de druk op de regering in Khartoem opvoeren, om zo snel mogelijk een veldhospitaal naar de Darfur regio te zenden.
De minister had "alleen maar waardering" voor de Franse inzet in Tsjaad en ziet niet hoe de grote Franse bijdrage aan deze missie de neutraliteit ervan in gevaar brengt. Met name Tweede Kamerlid Boekestijn (VVD) heeft grote bedenkingen bij deze mogelijke missie. Volgens hem dreigt het gevaar je in een "wespennest" te steken waar je niet meer uit komt.
Labels: European Union, Foreign Policy, Tsjaad, Tweede Kamer
- posted by DD @ 1:00 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
donderdag, januari 24, 2008
Condi Rice opening Davos
ondoleezza Rice openng speech of the Davos World Economic Forum.Memorable quote: "If we are to continue expanding global economic growth, we also need to find a new approach to energy and the environment. If we proceed on our current course, we have an unacceptable choice: Either sacrifice global economic growth for the health of our planet – or sacrifice the health of our planet for fossil fuel-led growth. We cannot do that. We have to reject this course – and work instead to cut the Gordian Knot of fossil fuels, carbon emissions, and economic activity.
I want to assure you that we Americans realize how central a solution to climate change is to the future health and success of the international system. "
Text of speech
Discussion with Tony Blair, Kissinger and others
Memorable quote by Dr. Kissinger:
"First of all, let me congratulate Condi on her – on a powerful and noble speech. And let me make a philosophical observation because I’m usually classed among the so-called realists against the so-called idealists, and make the point that this distinction is really not a meaningful distinction. The task of any leader is to take a society from where it is to where it hasn’t been. That takes idealism. If you confine yourself to the familiar, there is stagnation. The problem is to – where is the limit to which you can take the society in any period of time. Prophets have absolute values that they want implemented immediately. Statesmen have to adjust it to the toleration of the system. And this, I think, will be the big debate in America next year and in the new administration, and this will determine the degree to which we form a domestic consensus and are able to create an international consensus."
Labels: Condoleezza Rice, Davos, Foreign Policy
- posted by DD @ 3:07 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
dinsdag, januari 15, 2008
Why the United States is the number one and only global power
tratfor founder George Friedman talks about geopolitics. Memorable quote about the future: " If you are not an American your problem is, how do you control the United States."Labels: Foreign Policy, globalisering, United States
- posted by DD @ 4:55 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
woensdag, november 28, 2007
Minister Ter Horst geeft Taliban fout toe
en geirriteerde minister van Binnenlandse zaken Guusje Ter Horst moest vanmorgen in de kamer erkennen, dat zij in een onlangs door de Nieuwe Revu gepubliceerd interview, niet had moeten zeggen dat zij de eerste minister was die over onderhandelen met de Taliban in het openbaar sprak.Geert Wilders vroeg het debat aan naar aanleiding van een interview in de Nieuwe Revu, waarin zij sprak over het onderhandelen met de Taliban in Afghanistan, als zij ophouden met het plegen van aanslagen, de wapens neerlegt en wil onderhandelen, "dan moet dit kunnen". Zij droeg hiermee het kabinetsbeleid uit, aldus de minister. Volgens Wilders is onderhandelen met terroristische organisaties altijd uitgesloten.
Minister Verhagen greep de gelegenheid aan nogmaals te herhalen dat Nederland niet met terroristen onderhandelt. De rode lijn wordt getrokken bij groeperingen die geweld propageren. In Afghanistan steunt de regering president Karzai in zijn wens de extremisten te willen losweken van de gematigden. Sommigen willen alleen onderhandelen als alle buitenlandse troepen zijn vertrokken. Anderen , zo'n 3000 Taliban, willen wel verzoenen na het afzweren van geweld.
Minister Verhagen nam afstand van de uitspraak van van Bommel (SP) als zou het "doodschieten" van de Taliban het doel zijn van de internationale troepen (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Deze uitspraak was volgens de minister "volstrekt misplaatst".
Labels: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, Tweede Kamer
- posted by DD @ 11:53 AM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
woensdag, oktober 31, 2007
Verhagen steunt Turkije tegen PKK
Den Haag
inister van Buitenlandse Zaken Verhagen sprak vanmorgen in de Tweede Kamer zijn steun uit voor Turkije tegenover de PKK. De PKK is volgens minister Verhagen een terroristische organisatie. De Nederlandse regering veroordeelt de PKK aanslagen."Turkije heeft het recht zich tegen aanvallen te weren," aldus de minister. Hij benadrukte dat Turkije niet zomaar hun gang kunnen gaan. Zij zullen Irak om toestemming moeten vragen om de PKK in Irak zelf te vervolgen en Turkije moet zich onthouden van disproportioneel optreden. Irak moet zelf ook voorkomen dat er vanuit haar grondgebied aanslagen ondernomen worden door de PKK. Volgens de minister moet het probleem langs diplomatieke weg opgelost worden.
Labels: Foreign Policy, Turkije
- posted by DD @ 2:32 PM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
donderdag, oktober 25, 2007
David Miliband on UK Foreign Policy
he foreign secretary of the UK in the new Brown cabinet discussed foreign policy issues in a conference organised by Avaaz.org (july 19, 2007). This video shows the highlights. On the Youtube site of Avaaz the entire speech is to be viewed.Labels: Britain, Foreign Policy, Politiek
- posted by DD @ 10:16 AM Perma Link/Print (0) comments
Op dit werk is een Creative Commons Licentie van toepassing.
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