Longboard training for your kids

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January 1, 2014

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Welcome to Sickboards

Possibly the biggest Longboard collection in the Universe.

Core Shop : Binckhorstlaan 320 2516BL The Hague The Netherlands Tel : +31-70-3524805 http://www.sickboards.nl/ Open from Monday till Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 Saturday from 11:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00

Lifestyle Store (more clothing and shoes) : Keizerstraat 70 2584BK The Hague (Scheveningen) The Netherlands Tel : +31-70-8700694 Open from Tuesday till Friday from 12:00 to 18:00 Saturday from 12:00 to 17:00 and Sunday from 13:00 to 17:00

For questions regarding your order call: +31-70-3524805

For general inquiries call: +31-70-8700493 http://www.sickboards.nl/

2013 Diplomatic Events

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January 1, 2014

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Flickr Albums Diplomatic events

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

Events before Nov.2013 click here:

https://diplomatmagazine.eu/recent-events/
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Events of Nov+Dec, 2013. See below.

Festive Season at Hotel des Indes

On Saturday 7 December Hotel Des Indes, a Luxury Collection Hotel has opened the Festive Season with the ignition of the Christmas tree in the hotel (see picture above). Every year the hotel undergoes a transformation with Holiday decorations ranging from floral arrangements, Christmas lights and an enchanting Christmas pine in the hotel’s restaurant or lounge.The guests arrived along a lane of fire torches, where the scent of freshly roasted chestnuts and apples entered their noses. Hotel Manager Rem Bastiaens welcomed his guests with a glass of glühwein around ‘the Rotonda’, overlooking the hotel lounge. After a short but inspiring speech, the lights were ignited and this marked the official start of the Hotel Des Indes Festive Season.

The Rotary Club Metropolitan

From Robert Buurke. The Hague, 18 th of December 2013.On Wednesday 18^th of December 2013 The Rotary Club Metropolitan The Hague organized a fundraising concert in The Our Savior Church. After an opening speech of H.E. Mr Maris Klisans the Latvian Ambassador in The Netherlands, a very beautiful concert of both Latvian as well as Christmas songs was performed. This concert has been made possible with the help of Ikea, The Underground, Sligro and Diplomat Magazine.

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Xmas Party at the Kurhaus

For pictures about this event please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/
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Embassy of Korea, honoring veterans

By Bonnie Klap.

For pictures about this event please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/
His Excellency Mr. Key Cheol Lee, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, hosted a very unique lunch honoring the Veterans of the 1950—1953 Korean War. The lunch was attended by 170 guests in total, many of them veterans, proudly wearing their uniforms. Various VIP’s also attended the lunch, such as Mrs. Hennis-Plasschaert, Minister of Defense, Dr. Song, President of the ICC and Mrs. van Miltenburg, Chairman of the Lower House of Parliament. Ambassador Key Cheol Lee passionately and tirelessly strives to increase public awareness in The Netherlands for the Korean War Veterans.
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Kenya 50th Anniversary

By Robert Buurke.

For pictures about this event please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

On the occasion of the celebration of Fifty years of Independence of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Mrs Rose Makena, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kenya invited Head of diplomatic missions and special guests to the Crowne plaza Hotel on 11 December to celebrate Kenya’s Independence Day. Ambassador Makena first requested the distinguished guests for one moment of silence on behalf of former President and anti-Apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who passed away recently.

In the end of her speech Ambassador Makena wished happy holidays season. The event was very well attended with excellent food, drinks and canapés from Kenya.

The Hague Bridge walk in Kijkduin

For pictures about this event please click here: https://picasaweb.google.com/PersonalVietnamTravelTeam/December112013HaagseBrugWalkWithJosNusseDenHaagGreeter?authkey=Gv1sRgCNDJ5fmEser-ywE&feat=email
These beautiful photos were taken by Martin Cup, for which our great thanks.

(The best presentation is through the slide show)

Sincerely,

The Hague Bridge team

FYI / TKN

http://www.denhaaggreeters.nl/

http://www.thehungrymind.nl/

(In English) http://www.stroom.nl/nl/kor/project.php?pr_id=2125635

(In English) http://denhaag.nl/home/bewoners/wonen-en-bouwen/to/Kijkduin-4.htm
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Zamora, Venezuelan film

For pictures about this event please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

On Monday 9 December, H.E. Haifa Aissami, Ambassador of Venezuela, in collaboration with the Asociacion Hispanica, invited members of the diplomatic corps and special guests to enjoy the screening of Zamora. The film chronicles the life of Ezequiel Zamora, a man who fought for the dignity and the emancipation of oppressed peoples in the mid-nineteenth century in Venezuela.This is the first historical film that expose the events occurred during mid XIX century with one of the most popular Venezuelan leader of that century.

After the successful screening Ms. Aissami offered a vin d’honneur to her guests with home-made snacks and local drinks from Venezuela. A short guitar recital was also performed by Maria Marin Gordillo.
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Thailand celebrates King’s Birthday

By Bonnie Klap. For more pictures click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

His Excellency Dr. Virachai Plasai, Ambassador of Thailand and his charming wife Elizabeth, hosted a reception on the occasion of the 86th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Addressing the numerous guests present Ambassador Plasai mentioned several interesting facts about his country, such as the hugely succesful automotive industry, which currently ranks amongst the top-10 in the world. Moreover 21 million tourists visit Thailand annually. Thailand’s economic growth rate for 2013 was projected at 3%. However, the IMF has increased this number to a healthy 3,5%.
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United Arab Emirates Anniversary

By Bonnie Klap.

For more pictures click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

42nd National Day United Arabic Emirates in Kurhaus Hotel

On the occasion of the 42nd Anniversary of the United Arab Emirates National Day the young, new Ambassador Abdalla Hamdan Alnaqbi hosted a reception at the Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel in Scheveningen. As is well known the oil reserves of the Emirates are ranked as the 7th largest in the world. Its natural gas reserves are the world’s 17th largest. This has contributed to the success of the UAE and the fact that they are one of the most developed economies in Western Asia. The very well attended reception was followed by a lavish dinner buffet.

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National Day of Romania.

By Bonnie Klap.

Her Excellency Mrs. Ireny Comaroschi, Ambassador of Romania, hosted a reception on the occasion of the National Day of Romania and treated her guests to a concert by Romanian artists Teodora Enache and her musicians. The venue was the magnificent Townhall of Wassenaar, ‘De Paauw,’ the former residence of the Dutch Prince Frederik in the 19th century. In her speech the Ambassador mentioned the fact that The Netherlands is the biggest investor in Romania. She concluded by wishing her many guests a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season. Voluteer Pictures Robert Buurke, Publisher.

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Cocktail International Criminal Court.

By Bonnie Klap. Fridaynight His Excellency Mr. Franz Josef Kremp, Ambassador of Germany, hosted a cocktailparty in his residence Huis Schuylenburch to introduce Judge Bertram Schmitt, the candidate of Germany to the International Criminal Court 2014 elections. Many members of the Diplomatic Corps and international organizations attended. Mr. Bertram Schmitt has been an ad hoc Judge at the European Court of Human Rights and is also an honorary Professor of criminal law at the University of Würzburg. Since 2005 Mr. Schmitt is a Judge at the “Bundesgerichtshof,” Germany’s highest Court of Justice.

For more pictures about this event please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets

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Spectaculair National Day Oman

By Bonnie Klap.

Click here for more beautiful pictures of this very special National Day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

The Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman to the Kingdom of The Netherlands, Muhammed bin Harub Al Said, hosted a grand reception on the occasion of the 43rd National Day Anniversary. The Ambassador started his speech in excellent Dutch, which impressed not only the many Dutch guests, but for which he received ample praise from former Prime-Ministers Professor Jan Peter Balkenende and Professor Andreas van Agt, both guests of honour this evening. Hundreds of guests had come to congratulate the Ambassador underscoring the importance of the bilateral relations between Oman and The Netherlands.

Independence Day of Lebanon

By Bonnie Klap.

The Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Lebanon, Mrs. Abir Ali, hosted a reception on the occasion of the Indepence of Lebanon. Although the weather outside was cold and rainy, the room in the Crowne Plaza Hotel was overflowing with guests and the reception was extremely well attended. Mrs. Abir Ali impressed some Dutch guests by bravely speaking Dutch. No mean feat considering the difficulty of the language and the fact that she arrived in The Netherlands just 9 months ago.

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Charge d’Affaires Adam Sterling and the Political-Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy hosted a Fall Borrel on November 18.

For more pictures on this very well attended event please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

King’s Day Belgium

By Bonnie Klap.

November 15 is a special day for the Belgian Monarchy. Since 1866 the day has been marked by celebrations in honor of the Belgian Monarch. The tradition was started by King Leopold II, who was the second King of Belgium. On November 15 His Excellency Mr. Frank Geerkens, Ambassador of Belgium to The Netherlands, hosted a reception at his residence to celebrate King’s Day. The reception was attended by a great number of guests, amongst whom several well-known Dutch politicians.

For more pictures about this event and other diplomatic gatherings please click here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

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Angola ‘Rumo ao Progresso’

By Roy Lie A Tjam. Last Monday 11 November, the Republic of Angola celebrated its independence and this important occasion marked by a night of splendour on 14^th when Dr Luis José de Almeida doyen of the Angolan diplomacy, Ambassador for Angola and Mrs Almeida hosted an important gala dinner in the grandeur of the Steigenberger Kurhaus Hotel. Ambassador Almeida gave an insightful update on the progress Angola has made over the past 38 years since independence. He addressed the delegates on the May preselect, including education, health and infrastructure policies. Angola: ‘Rumo ao Progresso’ she is indeed surging ahead and the Republic looks unfazed to her future! The guest of honour at the festivities was Mr. Paul Staal, Dutch consultant and a key leader in the 1960’s and 70’s of the activist movement Angola Comité, which fervently supported the Angolan struggle for independence. The special guest at the dinner was the representative of the Angola Steel Corporation, Ms.Almeida. The programme included a wonderful interactive musical performance by the renowned Angolan ensemble Kilandukilu Angola, who flew in especially for the celebrations.

Click here for pictures about this magnificent event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

Enjoy Jakarta, Roadshow 2013

By Bonnie Klap.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in cooperation with Jakarta City Government and Culture Office and Garuda Indonesia organized a Press Conference in the prestigious Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam, followed by a Cocktail gathering and a fabulous Gala Dinner. Indonesian dancers in colorful costumes provided entertainment and a spectacular fashionshow was also part of the programme. Her Excellency Mrs. Retno Marsudi, Ambassador of Indonesia, delivered a speech in which she mentioned the promotion of tourism as one of the top-priorities of Indonesia.

Click here for more beautiful pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/98057281@N02/sets/

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For events before November, 2013, click here: https://diplomatmagazine.eu/recent-events/

MPM and PILAR MONTES

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January 1, 2014

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By Drs. Eva Maria Elisabeth Mennes. Do you ever go to Rotterdam for an exposition or for shopping? If you don’t, you should! In the last three years the shop MPM of Pilar Montes, just behind the town hall is a well known secret. The unique collection of bijoux and jewelry and the warm welcome make Pilar and her shop well loved. She knows to find a jewel for every woman. The MPM by Pilar Montes celebrated last November 21 it’s third year of success.

Clients from Rotterdam as well as internationals and personal shoppers find her shop to complete an outfit. Passion and a sense of beauty are her secrets. Pilar and her team advise her clientele very personally. Everybody can find something that enhances her beauty. Pilar: “ All ingredients have to fit, as everything in life. Don’t dress according to your age, but see to it that your dress, your make up and your jewelry make a stylish impression all together.Don’t overdo it. It also depends on the outfit you wear. Sometimes few jewelry is desired, sometimes a flashing power jewel and sometimes a mix.” She has a dashing collection of ear hangers and holes are even not necessary. “We have a big collection of clips even of hangers. You can try them on to see how they suit you. At the moment we also see a retro look of the fifties coming back in the different designs.” The taste of the time is more decorative. A collection of silver, gold, white gold and rosé gold can be found at MPM. Half precious stones are very much in demand. For personal advise like for a gala or a wedding you can make an appointment.

Take a picture of your dress with you and Pilar sees to it that you shine with a big jewel to make a statement or a fine, delicate model. Timeless bijoux and jewels with character you find at MPM by Pilar Montes. And if you have time left, don’t forget the beautiful museums of Rotterdam. MPM by Pilar Montes Westewagenstraat 56 Rotterdam http://www.mpmjewelry.com/

Laurens- Jan Brinkhorst

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January 1, 2014

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By Bonnie Klap. The trend has been persistent and unmistakable for some time and cannot be entirely disregarded. Right or wrong, it is an indisputable fact that there is a certain degree of euroscepticism in The Netherlands. The number of Eurosceptics may not be overwhelming, but they are becoming increasingly vocal. A perfect moment to ask Mr. Laurens-Jan Brinkhorst, former diplomat, seasoned former Dutch politician and firm supporter of the European Union , to share his views on this subject. Mr. Brinkhorst may no longer be active as a politician or a diplomat, but he still maintains a busy work schedule and maintains an office in The Hague, where he welcomes us.

Please tell us how you see the future of the European Union?

“I just returned from a trip to Taiwan and I was fascinated by the dynamic atmosphere in that country. The world is getting smaller and we have to reset our thinking and start acting together, otherwise we will become irrelevant. Personally I do not believe we have come to the end of 300 years of European dominance, but I do regret that the idea persists that we are going to lose our identity and that we will all be unified in one European Superstate. This is because lack of knowledge and yes, because of lack of information, then it becomes easier to fall prey to populism. Left and right of the political center. We have a restricted view of the European Society and tend to view it solely in an economic perspective, but European political values are also important. We tend to be much too inward looking. Just the other day Minister Asscher, referring to the potential influx of Romanian immigrants, stated that ‘The Netherlands is the best country in the world,’, but what about Spain? What about Ireland? These countries have made tremendous progress.”

Are you worried about the state of the Dutch economy?

“Fundamentally nothing is really wrong with the Dutch economy. What is worrying is the Status Quo-attitude, represented by the Trade Unions and the politicians, which prevents us to innovate. For instance the objective of increasing the pension-age to 67 years, was achieved with such heavy opposition, but there should be a sense of adjusting to the future. Today four working people support one pensioner. 30 years from now that ratio will be down to two working people supporting one pensioner. That is anti-social. This burden cannot be borne by the younger people. In politics today everybody gets something, but nobody gets enough, so nothing really happens. Change has to come from outside. Long before we had the Euro we used to revalue our currency in line with the Deutsche Mark every year and we did not give up our sovereignty. The one time we did not follow the Deutsche Mark, we had 10 years of inflation.” 2. What would happen if the UK decided to leave the European Union? “That would have very negative consequences , for Europe, but in the first place for the UK. There is a lack of politicians with courage. The most bizarre statements are being made and I worry about the fact that nobody stands up. To quote the late US President Roosevelt: ‘We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.’ We have been in this crisis for 5 years now. Look at the US today, 5 years after the start of the crisis, they are gung-ho, whereas we, in Europe, have enormous self-doubt. The fact remains that we need each other. I was in London on the day, when Prime Minister Cameron made the statement, that there would be a referendum on the EU. I will not disclose his name, but a leading Tory said to me:’This statement of Cameron is the statement of a man, who will lose the next election.’”

Will 2013 enter into history as the year of Mandela and Black Piet?

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January 1, 2014

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Will 2013 enter into history as the year of Mandela and Black Piet?

By Peter Knoope. 2014 has just begun. We have looked back at 2013 over the last couple of weeks and one of the most memorable events of last year happened, without a doubt, in early December. Nelson Mandela left the world of the living. He was the most popular and well respected former terrorist of all times. I admire him as much as everybody else. No misunderstanding, but everything that possibly can be said about him has already been said. I will not try and add to all the voices that have spoken in admiration. But I like to think that one related issue deserves particular attention. It may have gone unnoticed to many of the readers of the Diplomat Magazine, but one of the biggest newspapers in the Netherlands apologised, on Saturday 6 December, for an article published on their website the day before. The article directly connected the passing away of Nelson Mandela to the end of Black Piet and so to the discussion about the black assistants to Saint Nicolas. Many are certainly aware that this Dutch national tradition brings joy to many children and grown-ups alike. As it is widely known, the tradition was challenged by those who feel that Black Piet has racial connotations that are unpleasant to people of African origin. I think however that apologies made by the newspaper are out of place in this case. The Telegraaf (to be quite explicit) may have done the only right thing to do. Although the two have different backgrounds and the two issues have different scopes and social implications; there are some real historical connections. Connections exist first of all and most certainly between some Dutch traditions and Nelson Mandela. There is no need to elaborate on the details. We all are aware of the humbling fact that “Apartheid” is a Dutch word. Mandela was a terrorist that started “Umkhonte we siswe”, the “Spear of the Nation”. He felt that no other language would convince, or at least be listened to by, the Apartheid regime that suppressed the black majority in South Africa. These people had no right to vote. They were pre-determined to be the black assistants to the white ruling class. Mandela’s ANC fought with words and with arms when needed. The ANC under his leadership later developed an all-inclusive strategy that was based on mutual understanding and tolerance. He showed the world “it can be done”. I am certainly not suggesting that the Black Piet tradition and Apartheid are of similar magnitudes. But there may be some minor similarities in the roots. The black assistant to the white “baas” may remind some of us about the unpleasant power relations between races in our former colonies. Maybe we should pick up some of the lessons of Nelson Mandela. Maybe we should realise that the voices of victims of discrimination must be listened to. Maybe we should also realise that societal tolerance is very much part and parcel of Dutch tradition as well. And if we do all of that we may find that some aspects of the Black Piet tradition and what Mandela resisted have something in common. And that’s why I think that maybe the newspaper should not apologise, but should seriously rethink and reconsider the argument. The issues are relevant enough. Mandela’s job in South Africa was not finished. Old and tired he left the future to others to follow in his tradition, in speaking up loudly for those who are discriminated against, with tolerance and understanding of all positions. After all, it can be done.

A growing problem

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January 1, 2014

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By Bonnie Klap Given the multitude of problematic issues that plague our modern-day society, it is perhaps easy to overlook a problem that stealthily creeps up on ( too) many of us. The Dutch Government ,however, is acutely aware of it and its health, financial and societal consequences. Hence it regularly attempts to increase public awareness for this problem. So far with limited success. I am referring to the ubiquitous and growing problem of obesity. An issue that, incidentally, is by no means exclusive to The Netherlands. It is unfortunately going global. Why cover this topic in the January issue of the Diplomat Magazine? There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the month of January is traditionally the time that people make New Years’ resolutions. Time and again the resolutions ‘losing weight and getting fit’ rank number 1 in the list of New Year’s resolutions, closely followed by ‘quitting smoking.’ The second reason is that, due to the very nature of their jobs, Diplomats have a busy social calendar, which comes with the unavoidable and numerous lunches, dinners and receptions. At each and every event they are confronted with irresistible snacks and excellent wines. Then there are the exquisite dinnerparties prepared by the private chefs. Self control goes only so far. Nonetheless, the numbers are sobering: In 2012 53% of men and 44% of women were considered to be overweight in The Netherlands and during the last 30 years the number of overweight adults has increased by a worrisome 50%. As already mentioned, the problem of overweight people is by no means confined to The Netherlands. According to the WHO worldwide there are 1,6 billion overweight people and 400 million people, who qualify as ‘clinically obese.’ Should this trend continue, we will be looking at a staggering 2,3 billion overweight people and700 million obese people as early as 2015. I have decided to mention these numbers, not to scare you or spoil your New Year’s mood, but simply to show you that the problem is real. Should you be worried? Only you can answer that question, but allow me to make a humble suggestion. For almost everybody, and certainly no less for the Diplomatic Community, it might be a good idea to take up some form of exercise on a regular basis. Join a gym or go jogging a few times a week. Will this be your New Year’s resolution for 2014?

Indonesian Seminar on Sports Law

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January 1, 2014

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By Prof. Dr. Ben Van Rompuy. The Ministry of Sport and Youth of Indonesia invited Prof. Dr. Ben Van Rompuy, senior researcher International and European sports law at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut (The Hague), as the external expert for its National Seminar on the Development of Indonesian Sports Law. The Seminar, which took place in Jakarta on 25 November 2013, gathered a wide range of stakeholders (sports governing bodies, academics, sports industry representatives, and government officials) to discuss various challenges related to the implementation of Act No 3/2005 on the National Sports System. Overlapping functions, bias of authority, and conflict of norms have been frustrating the effective enforcement of the Act. In a presentation entitled “The function and role of the State in sports governance: a model of conditional autonomy”, Ben Van Rompuy discussed contemporary international and European developments in the area of sports law, highlighting lessens that could be learned from practical experiences with e.g. arbitration and alternative dispute resolution in sport. He stressed the emergence of the concept of “conditional autonomy” in Europe: while the autonomy of sport must be respected, the sports world has come to realize that it comes with certain limits and obligations (such as compliance with principles of good governance). In Europe, Indonesia, and elsewhere it is important that sports governing bodies and governments engage in dialogue and develop effective working relationships while recognizing their respective roles and competences. The Seminar concluded with the formulation of a set of concrete recommendations and action points to further the development of Indonesian sports law, such as: – the amendment of several ambiguous provisions of the Sports Act so as to better articulate the responsibilities of the various stakeholders; – the development of robust and impartial (internal) mechanisms for dispute resolution that deliver cost effective and swift resolutions; – the inclusion of a chapter on sports law in the National Plan of Empowerment of the Indonesian Legal System, which would strengthen the funding and strategic development of sports policies and programs; – the establishment of a national sports law research center to build up and consolidate a scientific knowledge base and to raise awareness of sports law. Secretary for the Youth and Sports Ministry, Ms. Yuli Mumpuni Widarso, who closed the Seminar, expressed the determination to collaborate closely with the T.M.C. Asser Instituut /Asser International Sports Law Centre in The Hague to inform and support the upcoming initiatives to increase the legal foundation and good governance of Indonesian sport.

Who dares to be honest?

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January 1, 2014

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By Barend ter Haar. Clingendael Institute of International Relations, former ambassador. The truth about the loss of our sovereignty cannot be told, because it would incite people to vote for anti-European parties, that is what one of our former ministers of Foreign Affairs said at a recent forum discussion[1]. In other words: voters cannot be trusted with the truth. The other three former ministers of Foreign Affairs that were present did not contradict him. If that is the mood in European governmental circles, is it surprising that according to a poll conducted across France, Britain, Germany, Poland and Spain in 2011, only 9 percent of Europeans thought their politicians acted with honesty and integrity? According to an other poll, the proportion of the British public who said they trust governments “just about always” or “most of the time” fell from 40 percent in 1986 to just 16 percent in 2009. These poll results are only a few of the uncomfortable truths mentioned in the highly readable report Now for the Long Term. This report was published last October[2] by the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations, a commission with many famous members, such as Michelle Bachelet, Pascal Lamy, Kishore Mahbubani, Chris Patten and Amartya Sen. The Report starts on a positive note: “Now is the best time in history to be alive. Our world has experienced a sustained period of positive change. The average person is about eight times richer than a century ago, nearly one billion people have been lifted out of extreme poverty over the past two decades, living standards have soared, life expectancy has risen, the threat of war between great powers has declined .. ” But then it rings the alarm bell: “we could arguably be amongst the last generations able to do anything to stop the long-term devastation of our planet. Soon it may be too late ..” World population growth, biodiversity loss, climate change and scarcity of raw materials pose us for problems that will not disappear because voters and politicians do not want to hear about them. On the contrary, the longer we postpone taking measures, the more difficult and costly these measures will become. If history, and in particular the history of the twentieth century, proves anything, it is that short sighted policies of governments that lacked the courage or the wisdom to do better have brought about horrible disasters. The big question for democracies in 2014 is what governments and voters will do. Will governments hide the truth to please the voters they distrust? And will people reward that by voting for parties that disregard the great challenges of the present time and allow them to bury their heads in the sand?

[1] See: http://www.nrc.nl/handelsblad/van/2013/december/13/besmuikt-gegrinnik-over-europa-1325117

[2] See: http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/commission/Oxford_Martin_Now_for_the_Long_Term.pdf

Do Dutch Universities Teach?

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January 1, 2014

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By Richard T. Griffiths (Associate Editor Diplomat Magazine and Professor International Studies, Leiden University). A new ‘fact’ is being created – Dutch universities don’t teach. Last November an opinion piece appeared in NRC Handelsblad observing that the good performance of Dutch universities in the recently released university rankings was due entirely to their research record. This good research disguised a poor performance in their teaching. Was this not, the article asked, the result of the perverse incentives ruling in universities whereby the rewarding of research was leading to a neglect of teaching? That weekend, the Minister for Education, Culture and Science, Jet Bussemaker, appeared in an interview in television programme, Buitenhof. Yes, she agreed, there was something wrong with the system, but the government had already introduced incentives for the excellent well-motivated student in the form of Honours Classes and University Colleges. And even if the rest was a mess, at least the system produced good graduates. She had obviously had media training – always end on a positive note! So what was at issue? Every year the Times Educational Supplement (THES) produces a ranking of world universities. Few news articles go beyond the main numbers – the Dutch never seem to get into the top-50, but all of them figure in the top-200. But for the top-200, the THES also publishes the more detailed breakdown of the figures into different components, including one for education, which makes up 30 per cent of the final index. Each component is measured on a scale of 0-100, where 100 is the score awarded to the best performing university. If we look at that, and at the twelve Dutch universities that figure in the top-200, we see that on average they score 50,5 overall, but only 37,9 for teaching. We can examine this at two levels. First, we should take account of the fact that most of the teaching ‘score’ derives from qualitative judgments – which universities do the respondents think are the best at teaching. Now, I have a fairly large international experience, but I would baulk at ranking even the universities with which I am familiar for their teaching abilities and commitments. Leave that aside, and we can address a far more serious criticism. One would be excused for thinking that teaching is part of the ‘structural’ components of a university – one that was not amenable or susceptible to sudden change. Well, if the THES is to be believed, all Dutch universities took time-off from teaching last year, but none so much as Utrecht (whose score in that one year fell by 24,3%) Leiden (which dropped by 22,4%) and Wageningen (which lost 21,4%). If this is the nature of the underlying statistics, one should be cautious about basing conclusions upon them. At a second level, we could look at the relation of teaching to top research and top performance. In the June 2013, I wrote an article suggesting that although Dutch universities had not penetrated the top-50, Dutch faculties certainly had*. Let us return to the list I published then and, using the latest data, take the best performing Dutch university in each ‘faculty’

Faculty	University	Overall Rank	Score
Faculty	University	Overall Rank	Total	Research	Teaching
Life Sciences	Wageningen	22	74,1	77,1	72,0
Engineering and technology	Delft	23	68,9	80,5	79,0
Arts and Humanities	Leiden	28	61,6	65,5	67,3
Social Sciences	Amsterdam (UvA)	34	61,5	68,0	50,6
Clinical, Pre-clinical and Health	Rotterdam	37	65,8	54,2	55,8

If we do this a different picture emerges. There is indeed top quality teaching at Dutch universities, alongside top quality research (and the results would have been even more favourable on last year’s data). This teaching is available to all students who opt for these faculties, and not to an elite being targeted by ‘honours’ classes and ‘university colleges’, which seem to be the flag-ships of reformist discourse. It is good to be critical of higher education, but it is wrong to be blind. There is much that is good in the Dutch system, but there is also room for improvement. However, the bottom-line is that Dutch universities can teach, and do teach… and often do so very well. Perhaps the next non-debate should be ‘do Dutch students study?’. *International Standing of Dutch Universities: Always a Bridesmaid? The Diplomat Magazine, June 2013.

Ambassadors’ commitment to commercial diplomacy

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January 1, 2014

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Ambassadors’ commitment to commercial diplomacy

By Dr. Huub Ruël, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences – Zwolle Commercial diplomacy is an important part of diplomacy in today’s world and is likely to become even more important the coming years. Many countries around the world are working on restructuring and refocusing their diplomatic missions to be better able to serve business and home country economic interests. The role of ambassadors in effective commercial diplomacy is crucial as he or she is the head of the diplomatic mission and responsible for the performance of an embassy’s commercial diplomats in the host country. Besides that, ambassadors themselves need to act as commercial diplomats as well. There are estimation that ambassadors spent 50-60% of their time on commercial promotional work. But to what extent are ambassadors really committed to commercial diplomacy? We conducted a study on the role of ambassadors in commercial diplomacy. All foreign ambassadors in the Netherlands were invited to participate and fill out a questionnaire. About one third was willing to participate. The results showed that foreign ambassadors in the Netherlands on average have 26.6 years of work experience in governmental organizations, and about 2.6 years of work experience in the private sector. On average foreign ambassadors have 6.8 years of experience as ambassador, and have lived in the Netherlands for 3 years. About one third of the ambassadors have a Law degree, 20% holds a degree in International Relations, and 12.5% in Economics. Foreign ambassadors find commercial diplomacy important (4.5 on a 5-point scale with 1=low, 5=high) and find that their commercial diplomats perform well (4.3 on a 5-point scale with 1=low, 5=high). In our study, ambassadors express that they spent on average 42% of their time on commercial diplomacy. Their involvement is the highest in business promotion (3.9 on a 5-point scale with 1=low, 5=high), and is far less in the promotion of cooperation in science and technology and intellectual property rights protection. Interestingly, it appeared that the more years of work experience in the private sector, the more time an ambassador spends on commercial diplomacy. Ambassadors who find commercial diplomacy important tend to be more involved in business promotion our study suggests. Finally, our study suggests that there is no relationship between the involvement of ambassadors in commercial diplomacy and trade volumes between the ambassadors’ home country and the Netherlands in the period 2008-2012.

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