Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in NRC about Dutch Diplomacy
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Professor of International Relations and Diplomatic Practice at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA), was interviewed by the NRC on 6 February about the government's warning words.
These cautionary words were: "After the Brexit, the balance of power in Europe will be in the advantage of the big member states. The Netherlands must therefore look for new European allies. Good relations with and knowledge about other EU member states are essential for this." The mandatory question: is Dutch diplomacy able to handle this new reality? De Hoop Scheffer has his doubts about that: "You really do need to be able ‘pierce’ these countries. You cannot do all those things with a minimally occupied post. Therefore, it has been so extraordinarily harmful and still detrimental that in the past there has been cutbacks on the diplomatic service."
Read the full interview on NRC (Dutch).