Dr. Kai Hebel, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Leiden University College

On 1 August 1975, after years of painstaking negotiations, the largest European summit since the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) convened in Helsinki, Finland. Under the watchful eyes of more than a thousand journalists, thirty-five leaders, hailing from all European states, the Soviet Union, the United States, and Canada signed a momentous agreement: the Helsinki Final Act. The product of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), this landmark document was celebrated by some as nothing less than a substitute peace treaty concluding the Second World War and hailed by others as a charter of ‘peaceful co-existence’ for the divided continent. In contrast, critics derided the Final Act precisely for these reasons, charging signatories with legitimising an immoral status quo imposed by Soviet imperialism and Communist authoritarianism.

Now, exactly 50 years later, the Final Act is widely remembered as a masterpiece of modern diplomacy and a victory of negotiation over confrontation. This Studium Generale event will look into the history of the Final Act – How was it negotiated? Why did it succeed? Who were the leading actors? – and it will discuss what its lessons are for today’s many international conflicts.

Dr. Kai Hebel will present his new book on the negotations: Britain, Détente, and the Helsinki CSCE: 'Fathers of the Final Act’ (2025). Next, he will discuss the book in a panel discussion chaired by Professor Giles Scott-Smith, with Professor Anne Deighton from the University of Oxford, Professor Daniel Thomas, and Professor Niels van Willigen.

Prof.dr. Niels Blokker, Professor emeritus of International Institutional Law, Leiden University
Dr. Letizia Lo Giacco, Assistant Professor of Public International Law, Leiden University
Dr. Otto Spijkers, Assistant Professor of International and European Law, Leiden University College The Hague

It is often suggested that, as the host state of both the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Netherlands holds a “special position” in terms of compliance with international law. But what does this mean exactly? In this Studium Generale lecture, Otto Spijkers and Letizia Lo Giacco discuss the legal and political dimensions of this “special position”. The lecture is chaired by Niels Blokker.

Programme

The Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV) recently reminded the Netherlands Government of its “special position in terms of compliance with international law inter alia given its role as the host country of the International Court of Justice”. In his lecture, Otto Spijkers explores how this “special position” as host state of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in terms of compliance with international law can be understood and operationalized. He examines how the Netherlands Government interprets and implements this role, looking at both historical contributions and, more importantly, its current contributions to the work of the ICJ.  Otto Spijkers also discusses how apparent inconsistencies may undermine the credibility of both the Netherlands and the international legal system, and proposes ways for the Netherlands to more effectively align its actions with its “special position” as host state.

Letizia Lo Giacco reviews the Netherlands' obligations to ensure and protect the ICC's proper functioning. Political pressures impact the work of the ICC, especially when governments oppose its investigations or arrest warrants. The ICC has its own legal mechanisms to address such interferences, but what role can the Netherlands take in protecting the Court? Letizia Lo Giacco discusses the international legal obligations binding upon the Netherlands as a host state of the ICC and which legal avenues are available to tackle interferences with the Court’s work – including, for instance, in Dutch domestic courts, as a recent complaint filed by Palestinian nationals with the Dutch Office of the Public Prosecutor demonstrates. Her talk sheds light on the challenges and limits that may arise for the Netherlands when implementing its legal obligations as the ICC’s host state.

Please note: registration required. Please sign up here. You will receive a reminder with all practical information a day before the lecture.

Dr. Akinyinka Akinyoade, Senior Researcher and University Lecturer, African Study Centre Leiden (ASCL), Leiden University
Dr. Leila Demarest, Associate Professor of Political Science, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University
Dr. David Ehrhardt, Associate Professor in International Development, Leiden University College The Hague

All around the world, countries are challenging the received wisdom that democracy leads to good governance. Nigeria provides a compelling case study of this debate. Since transitioning from military rule in 1999, the country has held regular elections, yet questions remain about how well its democratic institutions serve the people. As a resource-rich, post-colonial nation with deep ethnic and regional divisions, Nigeria highlights the challenges of governing a diverse and complex modern state. How do politicians navigate power and public resources? Does democracy necessarily lead to better governance? And how do governance practices shape, and in turn, respond to patterns of migration? On this evening, Akinyinka Akinyoade, Leila Demarest, and David Ehrhardt will explore these questions with you.

Please note: registration required. Please sign up here. You will receive a reminder with all practical information a day before the lecture.

Programme

Dr. Akinyinka Akinyoade
Nigeria is poised to dramatically become the world’s third most populous country by 2050. How did we get here? In this presentation we shall examine Nigeria’s politically charged demographic landscape and what the concerns of reliability mean for political demography.  

Dr. Leila Demarest
To say it with the words of a former British prime minister: Nigeria is fantastically corrupt. Nigeria’s democracy has been characterized by political payoffs between powerful political leaders, who use their resources to buy citizen votes around election time rather than investing in service provision and improving citizen welfare. In this presentation, we will explore why fighting corruption – which may appear to improve governance in Nigeria – may inadvertently undermine stability in Nigeria’s fragmented society, and even threaten democracy itself.

Dr. David Ehrhardt
All around the world, countries are challenging the received wisdom that democracy leads to good governance. In this talk, we will examine the challenges facing democracy in Nigeria and draw parallels to those in the Netherlands and the broader West. What can we learn from Nigeria? Somewhat speculatively, David will argue that ideological and ethnic polarization, amplified by new media, pushes democratic politicians toward engaging in ‘exciting’ political theater, rather than serious (and boring) policy-making.

Dr. Lenore Todd, Assistant Professor, Leiden University College The Hague

Join us for an evening of critical discussion on the visual and cultural narratives that shape perceptions of Black women. Dr. Lenore Todd will present her new book Beyond the Mulatta: Haunted Hybridity in Advertising (February 2025). This book chronicles and analyzes black and mixed-race women's trajectory in postcolonial visual culture history. In contemporary western advertising, there is a frequently recurring stock figure of a particular type of black woman. This figure is a of African descent, with a light to medium skin tone and a loosely curled Afro. She is an engine of middle-class aspiration and an avatar of "a better future" that is close at hand, but will never happen.

Dr. Joeri Reinders, Assistant Professor, Leiden University College The Hague
Dr. David Zetland, Assistant Professor, Leiden University College The Hague

Salt water running from your kitchen tap, widespread floods and droughts, and the loss of biodiversity – how do we manage the impacts of climate change that are already visible, while preparing ourselves for the future challenges we have yet to grasp? On March 4th, David Zetland and Joeri Reinders will discuss these questions with you.

Joeri will explore the impact of climate change on the water cycle. How do the effects of climate change, such as rising temperatures, affect extreme events such as flood and droughts? What impact does human activity have on water levels and natural hazards? And how can we better prevent floods and manage our water sustainably in the future?

David will discuss the political and economic challenges we face in adapting to changes in the water cycle. Think for instance of the consequences of collapsing infrastructure due to flooding, or the salinization and resulting loss of farmland and freshwater resources, but also of climate-induced migration. Solutions to these issues do not always account for unforeseen consequences, and are often unfair, as measures taken by wealthier regions further disadvantage poorer communities. In his lecture, David will show that these challenges are not only a matter of politics. Instead, market-based solutions, such as water pricing and water markets, can and should be used responsibly in addressing problems we already face today, while also preventing future crises.

After their talks, Joeri and David will together answer your questions, and discuss big and small actions we can all take to make a change.