The Netherlands, the EU and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:: Why The Hague Continues to be One of Israel’s Most Faithful European Allies

This historical study assesses the determining factors behind the development of the Netherlands as one of Israel’s most faithful European allies in its conflict with the Palestinians. As such it wants to contribute to the academic debate on foreign policy Europeanisation that started two decades ago with the publication of Ben Tonra’s seminal study on The Europeanisation of National Foreign Policy. Comprehensive studies using primary sources of the EU’s individual member states’ policies towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continue to be scarce. This study about the Netherlands contributes to filling this gap. It first sets out why the Dutch government’s position has always been more pro-Israel compared to that of the EU by assessing the relative influences of the EU and the Netherlands’ national Parliament as external and internal foreign policy determinants. After having established the dominating role of Dutch Parliament the latter part of this article tries to explain what continues to motivate a right-wing majority in Dutch Parliament to protect the Dutch government’s traditional pro-Israel position against external influences from the European level. Parliament the latter part of this article tries to explain what continues to motivate a right-wing majority in Dutch Parliament to protect the Dutch government’s traditional pro-Israel position against external influences from the European level

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

'Development Cooperation 2.0.':: 'Looking forward by looking back'

Does it make sense to maintain development cooperation as a recognizable policy area when public support, like the aid budget have declined and the most recent policy memorandum 'Doing what the Netherlands is good at' more openly than ever promotes the now equally dwindling aid budget as an instrument to promote well-understood self-interest? Yes, it does. But that does not imply that this article advocates a return to a bygone era when development experts professed the gospel of poverty alleviation by trying to keep the merchant and the diplomat out of the door. On the contrary, this article wishes to emphasize that isolating development cooperation from political and economic interests does not make sense because is not possible and therefore has never been successful. Anyone who dares to face this will also more easily come to the conclusion that, under certain conditions, the fight against poverty can indeed go hand in hand with the promotion of other goals and interests

‘Ontwikkelingssamenwerking 2.0.': 'Vooruitzien door terug te kijken’

Does it make sense to maintain development cooperation as a recognizable policy area when public support, like the aid budget have declined and the most recent policy memorandum 'Doing what the Netherlands is good at' more openly than ever promotes the now equally dwindling aid budget as an instrument to promote well-understood self-interest? Yes, it does. But that does not imply that this article advocates a return to a bygone era when development experts professed the gospel of poverty alleviation by trying to keep the merchant and the diplomat out of the door. On the contrary, this article wishes to emphasize that isolating development cooperation from political and economic interests does not make sense because is not possible and therefore has never been successful. Anyone who dares to face this will also more easily come to the conclusion that, under certain conditions, the fight against poverty can indeed go hand in hand with the promotion of other goals and interests

The Netherlands, the EU and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:: Why The Hague Continues to be One of Israel’s Most Faithful European Allies

This historical study assesses the determining factors behind the development of the Netherlands as one of Israel’s most faithful European allies in its conflict with the Palestinians. As such it wants to contribute to the academic debate on foreign policy Europeanisation that started two decades ago with the publication of Ben Tonra’s seminal study on The Europeanisation of National Foreign Policy. Comprehensive studies using primary sources of the EU’s individual member states’ policies towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continue to be scarce. This study about the Netherlands contributes to filling this gap. It first sets out why the Dutch government’s position has always been more pro-Israel compared to that of the EU by assessing the relative influences of the EU and the Netherlands’ national Parliament as external and internal foreign policy determinants. After having established the dominating role of Dutch Parliament the latter part of this article tries to explain what continues to motivate a right-wing majority in Dutch Parliament to protect the Dutch government’s traditional pro-Israel position against external influences from the European level. Parliament the latter part of this article tries to explain what continues to motivate a right-wing majority in Dutch Parliament to protect the Dutch government’s traditional pro-Israel position against external influences from the European level