The Netherlands and the oil crisis: business as usual

The Netherlands played a remarkable role during the October War and the oil crisis of 1973. In secret, the Dutch government sent a substantial amount of ammunition and spare parts to Israel. The Dutch supported Israel also politically. Within the EC they vetoed a more pro-Arab policy. The Arab oil producing countries punished The Netherlands by imposing an oil embargo. The embargo against the Netherlands was intimidating. The Netherlands was dependent on Arab oil. The embargo seemed to threaten the Dutch position in the international oil sector. The government introduced several measures to reduce oil consumption. However, within two months it became clear that oil continued to arrive in Rotterdam. There was in fact no oil shortage in the Netherlands. The Netherlands even profited from the oil crisis. The energy situation in The Netherlands was much better than in other West European countries. The Dutch, therefore, rejected French plans for a more interventionist energy policy. Atlanticism and liberalism were the key words of the Dutch policy during the oil crisis. This book is the result of intensive research in all relevant Dutch archives. The authors had free access to all the files they wanted to see. They also used resources from other countries involved. Many politicians were interviewed. The result is a surprising analysis of the oil crisis of 1973, and of the Dutch role in particular

The Netherlands and the Oil Crisis

The Netherlands played a remarkable role during the October War and the oil crisis of 1973. In secret, the Dutch government sent a substantial amount of ammunition and spare parts to Israel. The Dutch supported Israel also politically. Within the EC they vetoed a more pro-Arab policy. The Arab oil producing countries punished The Netherlands by imposing an oil embargo. The embargo against the Netherlands was intimidating. The Netherlands was dependent on Arab oil. The embargo seemed to threaten the Dutch position in the international oil sector. The government introduced several measures to reduce oil consumption. However, within two months it became clear that oil continued to arrive in Rotterdam. There was in fact no oil shortage in the Netherlands. The Netherlands even profited from the oil crisis. The energy situation in The Netherlands was much better than in other West European countries. The Dutch, therefore, rejected French plans for a more interventionist energy policy. Atlanticism and liberalism were the key words of the Dutch policy during the oil crisis. This book is the result of intensive research in all relevant Dutch archives. The authors had free access to all the files they wanted to see. They also used resources from other countries involved. Many politicians were interviewed. The result is a surprising analysis of the oil crisis of 1973, and of the Dutch role in particular

Nederland-België: de Belgisch-Nederlandse betrekkingen vanaf 1940

Wat leert ons een vogelvlucht over de bijna zeventig jaar Nederlands-Belgische betrekkingen sinds 1945 ? Een eerste conclusie kan niet anders zijn dan dat de bilaterale relaties tussen beide vuurlanden onderhevig zijn geweest aan wisselende krachten van aantrekking en afstoting, toenadering en verwijdering. Een schets met ruwe borsteltrekken levert drie opeenvolgende fasen op: nauwe samenwerking in de twee decennia na het einde de Tweede Wereldoorlog, gevolgd door een periode van verwijdering die duurde tot het einde van de Koude Oorlog, en, meer recentelijk, in een derde fase vanaf het midden van de jaren negentig, schuchtere tekenen die kunnen wijzen op een mogelijke nieuwe toenadering

Beyond the merchant and the clergyman: assessing moral claims about development cooperation

This article proposes to move beyond the categories of altruism and self-interest in the analyses of the motives for development cooperation. This opposition ignores the inherently moral nature of development policy. The article illustrates the shortcomings of such a perspective by tracing the metaphor of the merchant and the clergyman as archetypical figures shaping Dutch development policy. Through these images the suggestion of an opposition between moral and amoral motives in the history of development has gained a strong foothold within the interplay of scholars, policy makers and public opinion. We go on to assess claims about economy, security, solidarity, prestige and guilt, and ecology, which have been brought forward to legitimise Dutch foreign aid. This analysis calls for research on the dynamics of the transnational exchanges of ideas, interests and expectations, especially during episodes when the moral validity of policy has been explicitly contested

Unspoken Allies

This study brings together the expertise of an international group of scholars to survey the development of political and economic relations between Britain and the Netherlands from the Napoleonic era to the present day. It illuminates both the underlying refrain of harmony in international outlook, ideology and interests that often made for close co-operation between the two countries, and also their episodic instances of conflict. The contributors address topics ranging from Anglo-Dutch relations in the era of imperialism; the tensions created by Dutch neutrality in the First World; the challenges of the inter-war years; the role of the Dutch in British strategy during the Second World War; colonialism and decolonisation; and, most recently, bilateral relations in the European framework. Based on detailed research in British and Dutch archives, Unspoken Allies provides new insights into relations between two of the principal 'amphibious' powers of Europe across the last two centuries