A two-track approach to Syria: unyoking civilians and politicians
By Biljana Scott, Oxford University, Senior Lecturer at DiploFoundation and Visiting Professor at the London Academy of Diplomacy.
biscott@diplomacy.edu
 There is a mantra in UN circles concerning Syria which says that âthe humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution.â It makes eminent sense to assume that a lasting peace cannot be secured independently of the political process which can ensure that peace, but where the human need is as great as it evidently is in Syria, and where power struggles are usurping the political process, using civilians as pawns, it is unconscionable to hold humanitarian concerns hostage to political haggling.[1]
 In a recent blog (Fiddling with words while Syria burns), I showed how the wording of the Geneva 1 CommuniquĂ© was ambiguous enough to bring conflicting parties to the table, but too ambiguous to allow for an agreement. For instance, its demand for âThe establishment of a transitional governing body which can establish a neutral environment in which the transition can take placeâ does not indicate who will constitute that governing body, nor what counts as a âneutral environmentâ in a country riven by conflict and hatred, nor where the transition is headed and how long it has.
 The first of these questions (which parties are to constitute the transitional governing body), proved so intractable that it caused the collapse of the February round of talks, a turning point which has brought me to the following conclusion: it is imperative that we unhitch humanitarian concerns from the political process, allowing for the adoption of a two-track approach. The slower-paced political talks with all their necessary word-worries can be assigned to one track, and the immediate and concerted intervention to save civilian victims from the war crimes and gross breaches of human rights they are currently subject to can be â must be â fast-tracked.
 On 22 February, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, responding to the adoption of UNSC Resolution 2139 concerning the Humanitarian Situation in Syria, reassured us that âIf this resolution is implemented quickly and in good faith, at least some of the suffering can be eased.â He went on to say:
âLadies and Gentlemen, this resolution should not have been necessary. Humanitarian assistance is not something to be negotiated; it is something to be allowed by virtue of international law. Profoundly shocking to me is that both sides are besieging civilians as a tactic of war.â
 It is indeed shocking, but the reason the Resolution was necessary, and the reason it will fail, is because of the ambiguities in the Geneva I Communiqué: progress on the ground will not be achieved as long as the Communiqué allows the stumbling-blocks of wording to serve as a cynical stalling tactic, with no regard for the human cost involved.
 It is imperative, therefore, that the UN Security Council stop demanding âthat all parties work towards the immediate and comprehensive implementation of the Geneva CommuniquĂ©â, and that it stop âexpressing its regret that its Presidential Statement of 2 October 2013 [which itself reiterates the importance of implementing the CommuniquĂ©] has not delivered as expected and has not yet translated into meaningful progress on the ground.â (UNSCR 2139)
 Constructive ambiguities have a limited shelf-life. Where parties refuse to talk because they canât agree on who is entitled to do the talking, it is time to stop âemphasizing that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution,â and high time to fast-track humanitarian intervention independently of political filibustering
[1]For an explanation of the political concerns behind the drafting of resolution 2139, see Whatâs in Blue, 11 February 2014
Dominican way for Diplomats Meet & Greet, impressive !!!
By Robert Buurke, Publisher.
The Dominican Republic Embassy hosted an outstanding, not to say out of the box diplomatic meet & greet last Thursday 3 April at Carlton Ambassador Hotel. Â Â For a complete photo album click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/72157643453081323/
Ambassador Arias was very grateful to volunteers for the Dominican Embassy in coordination with Diplomat Club The Hague, Diplomat Magazine, Carlton Ambassador Hotel and sponsors.  This is the first time that during Diplomats Meet & Greet the public was immersed in dancing, this time with Dominican Bachata and Merengue. Ambassador Arias showed us his skills in Dominican music. During his welcome speech ambassador Arias was impressed by the volunteer work and engagement of jazz musicians Mrs. Sonja Langbroek and Mr. Rinus Bakker,  Mrs. Gladys Carrasco, Dominican expat living in Utrecht,   Mrs. Nucita and Miguel de los Santos from the dancing school in Haarlem,  the Dominican dancing couple from The Hague âEsperanza and Irisâ that âswitched onâ the party,  the valuable help from Mrs. Rossy Mateo and the embassy’s diplomatic staff. Last but not least, Ambassador Arias mentioned the dedicated work of  his “very active Minister Counselor Eugenio Matos”.  The latter engaged in this project since early December, 2013 together with Diplomat Club The Hague’s volunteer directors Mrs. bb and Mrs. Mayelinne De Lara, Mr. Arwin Paulides, Manager of Carlton Ambassador and volunteers from Diplomat Magazine. This is another positive result from Dominican Republic Embassy’s Public Diplomacy, in addition to Keith Dinnie’s article stating this fact in https://diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/03/02/fine-art-public-diplomacy/
Which is the link between Their Imperial and Royal Highness and the Dominican Republic?
Archduke SĂĄndor attended the « Colegio Carol Morgan » in Santo Domingo. His father, Archduke Dominic, who is co-owner and administrator of BranCastle (known colloquially as âDraculaCastleâ, www.bran-castle.com) He was lecturer at the âInstituto TecnolĂłgico de Santo Domingoâ.
During the II World War some members of the Habsburg House led by  Crown Prince Otto of Austria, Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia, assisted the Portuguese Consul-General in Bordeaux, Aristides de Sousa Mendes, to smuggle Jewish refugees and obtain visa for them to the Dominican Republic as âfarmersâ.  The Dominican Government was amongst the few countries welcoming Jewish refugees. His Imperial and Royal Highness Archduke SĂĄndor was born in 1965 in Vienna, Austria, as a direct descendant of Empress and Queen Maria Theresia of the Holy Roman Empire, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, of Bohemia, of Croatia, etc. He is a member of the Tuscan line of the Habsburg Dynasty. He spent his youth in Austria, the Dominican Republic as well as Antigua and Barbuda. After he completed his university studies in the USA, his professional activities took him back to Europe, particularly to Austria. Presently he is on the board of directors of several companies and organisations.
Main lineage of Archduke SĂĄndor & Archduchess Herta Margarete.
Maria Theresia ,Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia and Franz I Stefan of Lorraine, Holy Roman Emperor, Grand Duke of Tuscany.
Leopold II of Austria, Grand Duke of Tuscany (as Pietro Leopoldo I), Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and Bohemia and Maria Luisa de BorbĂłn, Infanta of Spain
Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Archduke of Austria and Luisa Maria Princess of the Two Sicilies
Leopoldo II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Archduke of Austria and Maria Antonia Princess of the Two Sicilies
Karl Salvator, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Marie Immaculata Princess of the Two Sicilies
Leopold Salvator, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Blanca de BorbĂłn, Infanta of Spain
Anton Maria, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Ileana, Princess of Romania
Dominic, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Engel Virginia von Voss
SĂĄndor, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Herta Margarete, Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany
Russian Imperial Family
Catherine II the Great, Empress of Russia and Peter III, Emperor of Russia
Pavel I Petrovich, Emperor of  Russia and Sophia Dorothea Princess of WĂŒrttemberg
Nikolai I Pavlovich, Emperor of Russia and Friederike Luise Princess of Prussia
Aleksandr II Nikolaievich, Emperorof Russia and Marie Princess of Hesse and by Rhine
Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Maria Aleksandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia
Ferdinand, King of Romania and Marie of Edinburgh, Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
Anton Maria, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Ileana, Princess of Romania
Dominic Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Engel Virginia von Voss
SĂĄndor Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Herta Margarete Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany
British Royal Family
Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Albert Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxony and Maria Aleksandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia
Ferdinand, King of Romania and Marie, Princess of Edinburgh
Anton Maria, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Ileana Princess of Romania
Dominic, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Engel Virginia von Voss
SĂĄndor,Archduke of Austria, Prince of Tuscany and Herta Margarete Archduchess of Austria, Princess of Tuscany.
  
For more recent diplomatic events click here: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/category/event/
On the opinion of Dominican expats  coming from Amsterdam, Haarlem, Den Haag and other cities “it was the best attended and the highest quality event ever presented by the Dominican Embassy in the Netherlands”. Indeed, first class venue together with  200+ renowned dignitaries and guests sharing a unique diplomatic ambiance. One shall mention the warmth reception of the staff of Carlton Ambassador and butlers from The International Butlers Academy from Valkenburg followed by a line of reception headed by  H.E. Ambassador Luis Arias, members of his diplomatic staff and Dominican dancers from the Latin Dance Social Club of Haarlem and volunteers from The Hague. Dominican rum was served as a welcome drink. Top class snacks came from Amsterdam, from a new state-of-the-art catering company founded by Mrs. Guelda Almonte. Their Imperial and Royal Highnesses Archduke SĂĄndor & Archduchess Herta Margarete handled a special Flame of Peace Award   www.flameofpeace.org to Ambassador Arias, whilst the latter publicly recognized Their Imperial and Royal Highnessesâ support to peace in the world with an official certificate. Ambassador Luis Arias was not only surprised by the support he received from more than fifteen head of diplomatic missions that were present, but to the President of the International Criminal Court and five judges from international courts based in the Hague, members of the press, top Dutch entrepreneurs, officials from the Ministry of Foreign affairs, representatives from the Dominican Community in the Netherlands and the like, all paying a cordial visit to Diplomats Meet & Greet. 
  
Contemporary Tunisia
By Bonnie Klap, Editor in Chief.Â
By invitation of the Ambassador of Tunisia and Mrs. Karim Ben BĂ©cher close to 150 guests gathered in the âTheater aan het Spuiâ to experience a unique performance by Selma and Sofiane Ouissi, two young, Tunisian choreographers, who derived their inspiration from the handcraft pottery of Sejinane. As the rich, ancient culture of Tunisia is widely known, it was the Ambassadorâs wish to present the contemporary side of Tunisiaâs art and culture, as well as its diversity. Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dutch business community, Press and Diplomatic Corps were present, as were the Ambassadors of Tunisiaâs two neighboring countries Algeria and Libya. 
IWC Culinary Odyssey
 By Sonia MEIJER.
It was my turn to organize the Culinary Odyssey Luncheon for the International Women’s.
  After been on the Board in 2009 , in spite of my very busy life  within my Language Institute Direct Languages Center, I still remain a member at the IWC due to the so many wonderful activities the Club has. The Culinary Odyssey Committee is to savor the delights of the best restaurants in The Hague, and what better than Impero Romano,  where yesterday the food and the personal were  excellent . At the Luncheon we had the chance to talk with all our fellow members and get to know eachother more.  I was also happy to have at this luncheon friends who enjoy to come to the IWC , among them were this distinguish ladies : Wive’s of the Ambassador of El Salvador, of Guatemala and Mexico and one special new guest, Dr.Mayelienne Lara, wife of Dr. Eugenio Matos G, Minister Counselor at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic and Honorary Associate Publisher of  Diplomat Magazine. Last but not least like Philosopher  HipĂłcraes said ” Let food be the nutrition and your Medicine “.
Guatemala and the integration process CACM & SICA
By Roy Lie-A-Tjam.
Guatemala is already very active economically  in the Mesoamerican, Western Caribbean and Latin American region. However, the country is now looking to Europe and other potential investors. It’s pioneering country in the region; the first to promote Central America,  the first free trade zone in the world. Guatemala has been a member of the Central America Common Market (CACM) since itâs foundation on 13 December 1960, when the original four member states were Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Two years later Costa Rica was also admitted to the group.
The CACM main exports are primarily directed to the US, Mexico, Central American markets and then to Europe in fourth place.
The high level of cooperation and solidarity in the Central American region is notable. There is a healthy level of interdependence of which the respective sovereign states are very much aware and are acting to improve. The Tegucigalpa Protocol of 13 December 1991 agreed the need to jointly address regional challenges. The five governments of CACM and Panama signed the protocol Sistema de la IntegraciĂłn Centroamericana – SICA (Central American Integration System) in 1991. This protocol aims to consolidate peace, liberty, democracy and development in the region, the fundamental objectives of SICA. The Dominican Republic and Belize have more recently gained access to SICA.
SICA represents a market of eight countries with more than 54 million inhabitants where around 28% of the SICA population lives in Guatemala. The aggregated GNP of SICA is about 255 billion US$ and Guatemala represents 20% or 50 billion US$ from the region.
Guatemala is currently involved in a border, island and continental waters dispute with Belize. However, a referendum is set to be held in both countries in the very near future, after which it will be decided whether to take the matter to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The Organization of American States (OAS) will facilitate the process. Ambassador of Guatemala, Jorge Lemcke hopes to see a solution to the lengthy border dispute between Guatemala and Belize.
Interview with Mrs. Besma Fayed
By Bonnie Klap, Editor in Chief
In our series of interviews with spouses of Diplomats,  this month I sit down with Mrs. Besma Fayed, wife of His Excellency Dr. Saad Ibrahim Al Ali, Ambassador of Iraq. She welcomes us in their residence, which is arguably one of the most spectacular residences in Wassenaar.
Q: You are yourself a highly educated woman holding a degree in biochemistry. What can you tell us about women-participation in higher education in Iraq?
A: âWomen play a major role in education at all levels in Iraq. In higher education 40-50% of the students are female and 35% of the teaching staff are female, so that gives you an idea of their participation. Most females prefer the fields of  science, medicine or engineering, and the proportion of females in science colleges is higher than it is in the areas of the humanitarian fields. I  myself chose the field of biochemistry because it is very broad and provides many career possibilities.â
Q: Of course there are big differences between Iraq and The Netherlands, but can you also name one or two similarities?
A: âCertainly there are many differences between any two countries and Iraq and The Netherlands are no exception, but you cannot say that there are big differences. It is better to rephrase your question, what are the differences? I will say that there are many differences, such as the open society, freedom, democracy, infrastructure, technology and so on. Social life, even in Iraq, Â varies between different places. Life differs from very conservative to liberal. There are places in Iraq, where people live the same way as is the case in the West and some are not. What I like in The Netherlands is family life. In the weekends when we go to restaurants, we see families together, grandparents, parents and children. There is respect for the elderly. I love this. The other thing that I appreciate most is Dutch tolerance and respect for non-Dutch people and we are always treated well by the people here.â
Q: What is your favorite place(s) in The Netherlands?
A: âI like everything! It is a beautiful country, but we always enjoy going to Giethoorn and the seaside at Noordwijk, Katwijk and Scheveningen. I also love Delft and enjoy taking boattrips with the Spido-boat through the harbor of Rotterdam. Just yesterday I visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam with a friend. It was magnificent, but I have to go back, because I could not see it all, it was so much. Of course we will also visit the Tefaf, which is a big experience for me to learn more. The PAN was wonderful as well. Everything is beautiful and we, as a family, are very happy here.â
Diplomacy in a digital world
By Jan Melissen, senior research fellow at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations âClingendaelâ.
Diplomatic studies at Clingendael.
Diplomats based in The Netherlands can benefit from The Hague as a hub for the study of diplomacy. It is for instance the editorial home of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy (HJD), a research journal with a steadily growing global readership. In 2013 HJD received submissions from twenty countries in all of the worldâs continents. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations âClingendaelâ are looking at future challenges confronting diplomacy and diplomats. They engage actively with think tanks and foreign ministries, particularly in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas.
The digital age
In 2012 the Clingendael Institute produced a widely cited Report entitled Futures for Diplomacy: Integrative Diplomacy in the 21st Century (http://www.clingendael.nl/publication/futures-diplomacy-integrative-diplomacy-21st-century). A subsequent conference with MFAs from all over the world was held in 2013. The aim of Futures for Diplomacy was to analyze the often confusing – and confused â discussions regarding the character and significance of diplomacy in the 21st century environment.
In a new and more focused project, like the 2012 project commissioned by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brian Hocking and Jan Melissen take a deeper and broader look at diplomacy in the digital age. They welcome partner countries that may wish to join and support this exciting venture.
Discussions concerning the impact of, for example, web 2.0 and the growth of social media on diplomacy tend to embrace a range of concepts and quite loosely argued propositions. As with the âCNN effectâ in an earlier era, their impact has sometimes been exaggerated. The discussion can however also embrace much broader issues such as those of e-governance, performance enhancement in key areas of MFA activity like consular diplomacy, participation in policy processes at all levels, and governmentsâ planning capacity.
Just a new forum?
The environment of diplomacy looks very different even from that of the 1990s. This Clingendael project examines the extent to which the digital world can be viewed as a new forum for traditional diplomacy, or whether it fundamentally transforms diplomacy.
A 2011 report from the so-called Toronto Group meeting of MFA secretaries-general noted that in the pre-conference survey participants ranked ânew communication tools/social media/next generation public diplomacyâ second in terms of importance. Most of the MFAs surveyed have or are developing an active web presence. Increasingly these platforms are highly interactive and include social media connectivity primarily via Facebook and Twitter.
Contrasting diplomatic futures
But there are broader questions that need to be addressed: Will some of the traditional fields of diplomacy become obsolete because of the digital revolution? Does the digital revolution require a fundamental re-evaluation of the rules and practices of a state based diplomatic system? Does this demand a reappraisal of, for example, key principles of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations? What are the implications of widespread use of social media for relationships with host governments? Answering these and other questions, Clingendael will develop contrasting models of possible diplomatic futures.
Seminar for diplomats in The Hague
Foreign diplomats in The Hague will be kept informed about the main outputs of the project, including a Report to be completed in the spring of 2015 and an international conference for MFAs and other experts. A seminar for the local diplomatic corps is also envisaged, counting on your participation and expertise.
Jan Melissen is a senior research fellow at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations âClingendaelâ, Professor at the University of Antwerp and founding co-editor of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy. Brian Hocking is a senior visiting fellow at Clingendael and visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.
Trade missions: a challenge for commercial diplomats
By Dr. Huub Ruel, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences – Zwolle
A trade mission is a key instrument in today’s commercial diplomacy. National and local governments and business associations initiate and organise trade missions in order to support businesses gaining access to new markets abroad. Embassies are very often involved in trade missions as they help to provide the networks to arrange match-making and business partner search, and visiting the home country embassy of a target country is usually part of the program. Commercial diplomats can help home country businesses to overcome barriers in doing business in the trade mission target country.
However, how effective a trade mission is still remains a bit of a mystery. Governments like to claim that trade missions boost a country’s exports, but research on this issue is not overwhelmingly convincing. Studies do show that trade missions are indeed an effective instrument for companies to expand internationally and explore new markets. They are a useful way to support individual companies to cross national borders and to invite foreign investors to the home country.
Commercial diplomats play a crucial role in organizing effective trade missions, but they face a number of challenges. In one of the studies conducted by the international business research group at Windesheim University, nineteen commercial diplomats from different OECD countries were interviewed, and all were involved in organizing trade missions.
They expressed that evaluating the effectiveness of trade missions is complicated. The benefits perceived by participating firms are diverse, and expressing them in dollars, euros, or other quantifiable terms is difficult. The commercial diplomats interviewed try to do so, but end up only with subjective outcomes most of the time.
Another issue that arose from the interviews was the follow-up of trade missions. Commercial diplomats lack the resources to actively monitor the progress of participating firms in terms of contracts, deals and agreements.
Some commercial diplomats interviewed also suggested that it could be beneficial to organize joint trade missions by several countries. For example, EU countries could combine their efforts and visit a target country together. Rather than competing, they could look for complementory goals.
But what does the future of trade missions look like? Are they still relevant in a world economy that is becoming more and more digital, and as a result may be percieved as ‘flat’? Or has this digitization only shown how culturally diverse and complex the world is? Will trade missions become even more important for that reason as a physical and real-life experience for business to explore potential new markets?
In a new study currently being carried out by the international business research group at Windesheim University, we are trying to find answers to these kinds of questions. In another study, we are developing a new format for trade missions that pays more attention to the preparation of participating firms and to follow-up.
Trade missions can be a great opportunity for business representatives to explore foreign markets, but are a challenge for commercial diplomats to provide formats that work. I will keep you posted!
Sochi: The Environmentally hostile Games
