Going soft?
By Richard T. Griffiths (Associate Editor Diplomat Magazine and Professor International Studies, LeidenUniversity).
In 1990 the American political economist Joseph Nye coined the term ‘soft power’ to describe the ability of a state to attain its goals through diplomacy and persuasion rather than coercion or bribery. The European political scientists have enthusiastically embraced this concept to analyse European foreign policy and the European Union, itself, has persistently employed the concept to describe and legitimise its approach to the rest of the World. For the European Union (as an institution and as a collection of separate states) the operationalization of this concept has rested on several supports and we will deal with three of them:
– The preference for dialogue and diplomacy over force,
– The ‘ownership’ of a successful integration model which inspires other nations,
– The propagation of a set of values that promoted democracy and that eschews discrimination and the abuse of human rights,
Over the past several months, I have spoken in three conferences dedicated to Europe – one in Macao and in Beijing, from where I am writing this contribution. Looking at Europe, and hearing others speaking of Europe, from a distance of thousands of kilometres lends a different perspective from that gathered from reading the (academic) literature.
The decision by the EU to prefer for dialogue over force would indeed be respected in Asia had it been made by choice. However, the experience of the intervention in Libya and non-intervention in Syria has made manifest two things. First, that the EU is incapable of making a prompt and united response to crises on its doorstep and that when some countries did intervene militarily, as in the case of Libya, they were incapable of doing so without US strategic and logistical support. In fact the critical dependence on the United States calls into question the ability of the EU to mount an independent military campaign, even if it chose to do so.
The integration model, whereby countries gradually together moved through trade integration to economic and monetary union, while pooling ever more areas of their sovereignty, has lost much of its gloss sincet the EU has lain in the grips of its currency crisis. The failure to take prompt and effective measures to solve the initial crisis and the deep divisions over longer-term policy have undermined the idea that Europeans controlled their own destiny. Meanwhile the persistence of the crisis and failure of economic recovery has led many to question Europe’s future position in a dynamic world economy.
These two factors have undeniably diminished Europe’s standing in Asia and reduced its moral authority. However, the moral high-ground claimed by Europe always looked higher in Europe that it did in Asia. Europeans may have forgiven themselves their imperial pasts, and many Asians have forgiven them too, but that does not mean that they have forgotten. It does not play well in Asia that those who preach democracy and human rights to foreign governments had for centuries blatantly infringed them themselves.
Since Europe’s problems are coinciding with the growing self-confidence in the region, the ‘soft power’ model is starting to lose some of its shine.
Investing in Georgia
By Shota Gvineria, Ambassador of Georgia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands
When learning about Georgia one cannot escape the general assessment of the country’s progress and the reforms undertaken in so many different areas so consistently in the recent years; Georgia has been awarded as a “Top Reformer” by the World Bank
In the last decade Georgia has undertaken a significant economic reforms process that has transformed its economy. According to the World Bank’s “Ease of doing Business” ranking Georgia has risen from 112th to 9th in the world since 2004.
By implementing extensive reforms to offer a business friendly environment and country’s diversified economy allowed Georgia’s steady annual growth around 6% for the last years, even during and after the global economic crisis.
We are happy to observe the growing interest of the Dutch private sector in Georgian economy for last few years, which resulted in the Netherland being a number one investor to Georgia for last two years in 20011 and 2012. Recently established Netherlands-Georgia Business Council will surely contribute to further strengthening the efforts of the embassy to facilitate trade and economic relations between the two countries (http://www.ngbc.nl).
Georgia’s progress and development have been highly praised by many international institutions. How did a country of 4, 5 million manage to achieve such a success?
With no major natural resources to rely on, Georgia had to hold on something different; and the first step in this direction was eradicating widely spread, almost endemic corruption. Today, Georgia is essentially a corrupt-free investment destination. In parallel, Georgia has significantly limited the regulatory burden, which hampered economic growth earlier, thereby creating a more attractive economic environment for investors. A one–stop shop has been launched to expedite all business-related administrative procedures and today there is a possibility to register any business in just two days. A flexible labor rights, with the minimal state interference in employer-employee relations have been legislated. Due to abovementioned measures and most importantly introduction of the low, fair and efficient tax system to potential investors, Georgia has positioned itself as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment (4th lowest tax burden in the world after Qatar, the UAE and Hong Kong/ excerpt from the “2009 Tax |Misery &Reform index ”by Forbes Business & Financial news). At the same time, two “free industrial zones” have been established and there are already operating, offering investors the most favorable exceptional conditions for doing business (http://www.investingeorgia.org/).
What is also important to know is that Georgia has one of the most liberal trade regimes; the country enjoys free trade regimes with all its regional trade partners (all CIS countries and Turkey). We also enjoy preferential trade regimes with the leading economies worldwide and have concluded negotiations of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade agreement with the EU.
Georgia is seeking to attract additional foreign direct investment through making the country a unique destination for investment and offering very interesting governmental incentives in a number of priority sectors like hydro-power sector, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture. Government funds have been established to facilitate and encourage the inflow of the FDI and development of the priority sectors (http://www.fund.ge/).
The combination of the above mentioned favorable business climate, government incentives and unique geopolitical location, makes Georgia an attractive and reliable regional hub and a gateway to the markets of the wider region.
Iran’s Presidential elections
By Kazem Gharib Abadi, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to The Hague.
Iranians at home and abroad participated in the eleventh presidential election in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was held on Friday, 14 June 2013, and recorded an epic turnout in determining their own destiny. The election was held after massive election campaigns and heated presidential debates exposed Iranians to various ideas and different opinions from diverse political currents and figures which as a result Dr. Rohani was elected as the new president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The people of Iran, in light of Islamic-style democracy, rushed in utmost peace and security to ballot boxes exhibiting their political spirit and awareness in such a national event, and once again manifested their will and decisiveness to protect and defend their Islamic Revolution and the sacred Islamic establishment in Iran. Massive participation of %72.2 of Iranian nation in the election has once again indicated the strong links between the state and nation.
As a matter of fact, the Islamic Republic of Iran, in view of the most recent presidential election, displayed yet another successful independent political pattern based on their combined religious and national identity with modern political and democratic mechanisms—a pattern which has resulted in stability, peace, public welfare and accountable governance in Iran.
The result of the election which was unexpected for some outside analysts and politicians who had insisted that the Islamic Republic would engineer the elections has proved that the right of the people to select their own choices is always respected and guaranteed by the religious democracy in the country.
By participating in this election the peace-loving people of Iran expressed, with enthusiasm, their interest in developing friendship, cooperation and dialogue with civilized nations and states across the world. The hope that respect to shared human values and interests in view of a high spirit for cooperation would lead to the formation of a world without threats and intimidation and full of welfare, and spiritual and material perfection.
As it was declared, Iran’s newly elected president will follow a “path of wisdom and hope, justice and enhancing mutual trust between Iran and other countries on the basis of mutual respect.” The real message of the president elect to the international community is that we have common interests, joint goals to promote peace, security and tranquility in the region and the world.
Wikipedia and battle of words in Egypt
By Marília Maciel, DiploFoundation
Political disputes usually take place in multiple and simultaneous battlefields. One of them is the semantic universe: the winning narrative about a controversial fact tends to be predominant in public perceptions and in History books. Therefore, it is understandable that actors invest resources on crafting particular expressions or on making them resound in the collective conscience.
In Egypt, the deposition of Mohamed Morsi triggered an ongoing debate on how to label it: was it a coup d’état or a revolution? The importance of this question goes beyond national politics. It affects the international legitimacy of the current government and it also impacts on concrete policies, such as international aid. The White House and other governments did not take a clear stand on the issue, but if a dominant narrative emerges, they might be compelled to do it. Politicians usually focus their attention on traditional media to identify these emerging trends on public discourse. Interestingly, this time some analysts have also http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/07/07/the_wikipedia_war_over_egypts_coup called attention to the lively debate taking place in the backstage of Wikipedia about the title of the article “2013 Egyptian coup d’état”.
The attention raised to the discussion in Wikipedia is not misplaced. The platform is currently the HYPERLINK “http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page” seventh most visited website worldwide. Many professionals use Wikipedia as a first source of information when they begin their researches on a given topic. In addition to that, unlike traditional media articles, which become old and fade from our memories in a few days, Wikipedia articles are easily retrievable and may have a long lasting repercussion, as they are indexed in the most popular encyclopedia of our time.
The outcome of the debates in Wikipedia may have a concrete impact on public discussions, but it is still unclear to many how Wikipedia works. Three core policies establish the framework for the platform: verifiability, no original research (NOR) and neutral point of view (NPOV). The first two are deeply related. Wikipedia is not a platform to share innovative ideas or the outcome of original thought. Its articles should be a summary of the known and relevant information about a given topic, supported by verifiable sources such as books, published academic works or media news.
The Neutral Point of View policy means that all opinions about a particular topic should be fairly represented. The discussion of rival opinions should contain no sympathy or bias. Some discussants in Wikipedia argued that the use of the word “coup” in the title of the article about recent events in Egypt is neutral and factual because sources, such as The Oxford English Dictionary, describe a “coup d’état” as an “illegal seizure of power from a government” and most legal analysts agree that this description matches the events that unfolded in Egypt. Other members of the Wikipedia community affirmed, that the title of the article violates NPOV because there is no predominant view on the matter. For the past few days, public opinion and media articles seem to be shifting towards the narrative of a coup and governmental HYPERLINK “http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/19/uk-revokes-arms-export-licenses-egypt” violence in Egypt has contributed to that. Consequently, Wikipedia editors decided to keep the current title, which mentions a coup d’état, at least for the time being.
Wikipedia discussants will have no problem in finding sources to support whatever view they affiliate themselves to. Traditional media channels, for instance, have made their preferences for the word “coup” or “revolution” very clear from the start. Governments, on the other hand, have avoided taking a clear position. They know the potential political and diplomatic pitfalls of trying to pre-assess the legitimacy of a government. Moreover, the geopolitical importance of Egypt cannot be overlooked. For all that, the words used by particular governments or media channels to refer to recent political events in Egypt are important, but they do not necessarily point the way for achieving neutrality in Wikipedia.
At least two conclusions can be drawn from this case. The first is that many of the issues that split opinions in society will also be controversial in platforms such as Wikipedia. However, the enforcement of clear policies like NPOV and the existence of constant peer review create incentives to produce balanced Wikipedia articles. This kind of pressure seems to be missing in traditional media. Wikipedia is, therefore, filling a gap and being increasingly regarded as a relevant source of information. The second conclusion is that, in spite of its growing importance and astonishing popularity, this platform has been practically absent in assessments of the public opinion and in strategies for public diplomacy. Paying attention and contributing to Wikipedia could be particularly HYPERLINK “http://www.diplomacy.edu/blog/wikipedia-diplomats-tool-information-and-public-diplomacy” relevant for diplomats, professionals who use words as key instruments to produce international reality and who always need to look at a picture from all sides.
MariliaM@diplomacy.edu
EU WELCOMES CROATIA
Ten years after Croatia applied for the EU-membership in 2003, it was welcomed as the 28th Member State of the European Union on July 1st, 2013. In celebration of this historic event a tree planting ceremony took place on the Malieveld in The Hague, in the presence of Members of Parliament, Ambassadors and many other dignitaries.
Ms. Renée Jones-Bos, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was the first to hold a speech, followed by the Mayor of The Hague, Mr. Jozias van Aartsen and Her Excellency Ms. Vesela Mrden Korac, Ambassador of Croatia.
During her speech Ambassador Mrden Korac underscored the tremendous complexity of the negotiation process regarding Croatia’s accession to the EU. She gave a brief description of the process, mentioning the 12 years of formal procedures, the negotiations with 27 member-states, 400 opening and closing benchmarks, 160.000 pages of aquis, 6 progression and 3 monitoring reports. The Ambassador expressed her particular gratitude toward the Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans. Minister Timmermans had travelled to Zagreb to celebrate Croatia’s accession to celebrate the EU with Croatian colleagues and citizens. As the Dutch Music Band “Alle Trossen los,” played the Anthem of Europe “Ode to Joy,” based on Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Ambassador Mrden Korac planted the tree, together with Secretary-General Jones-Bos and Mayor van Aartsen. The tree joined 27 other trees on the Malieveld, symbolizing the 28 EU-member states.
The start of International Clients: banking for expats
By Daniel Poot, Preferred Banker International Clients, ABN AMRO. Den Haag.
The launch of something new is always very exciting. Hence, the start of the diplomatic magazine online is a wonderful idea and ABN AMRO believes this is an unique platform for diplomats to acquire relevant information and subsequently for the entire international community in The Hague and the Netherlands.
This launch brings me back to the start-up of the ABN AMRO International Clients Desk in January 1992. Just after the merger between the ABN Bank and Amro Bank. This international desk was started mainly to service the embassies and the International Court of Justice. The goal was to help you find the best way to do your banking in a new and foreign environment.
A lot has changed since 1992. The Hague became more and more the City of Peace and Justice. In 1993 the start of the ICTY later to be followed by other organisations like ICC , Europol, Eurojust and many more followed. In addition, large multinationals have settled in The Hague as well like Shell, Q8, CB&I and more recently APM Terminals and Aramco.
Obviously many diplomats, expats and other international employees have moved to The Hague and most of them became familiar with the international desk of ABN AMRO.
On July 8th this year ABN AMRO also launched something new. The bank started a campaign to promote all of the ABN AMRO international desks in The Netherlands. Besides our desk in The Hague, we service international clients in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and starting August 1st, also in Eindhoven.
If you are looking for advice on payments , insurances, mortgages, savings or investments, we ABN AMRO has a team of specialists who can service you. And did you know that ABN AMRO also serves international clients living abroad with a variety of products? We do service international clients worldwide.
Finally, we have a full English website, English internet banking and English mobile banking. Interested? Check out our new website, go to www.abnamro.nl/expats and you will see what we can do for you!
FINE ARTS. LaCoste.
By John Dunkelgrün.
Château La Coste Le Puy Sainte Réparade
“Summer” art writers this year understandably concentrated on the many splendid events France has organized around Marseille’s year as Cultural Capital of Europe. These are indeed not to be missed, especially the great exhibitions of the “Ateliers du Midi” in both Marseille and Aix en Provence. However, if you are still heading South with an interest in art as well as sun, don’t miss the (not so) little paradise Mr. Patrick McKillen has created at Château La Coste near the hamlet of Le Puy Sainte Réparade (not far from Aix en Provence and not to be confused with the village of Lacoste).
Mr McKillen has taken an old and prestigious wine making estate of well over 120 hectares and planted it with more vines and olive trees in a magnificent park architecture. Throughout the park there are works of art by the most famous contemporary artists, who had been especially invited to create works inspired by and fitting into the landscape. Works by Richard Serra, Tom Shannon, Alexander Calder, Liam Gillick and many others can be found on a walk through the park, which takes about two hours. There are shady abris where you can rest and gaze at the views by Tadao Ando and pavilions designed among others by Richard Gehry and Norman Foster. At the end of your walk you can go to the “Chai”, designed by Jean Nouvel to sample and buy the excellent estate wines (all “bio” grown) and relax and enjoy an excellent and affordable lunch at the central pavilion cooled by two shallow pools, one of which is an infinity pool. In order to save the landscape, all parking is underground as will be most of the hotel that will be built on the estate.
A leasurely morning stroll through the estate (afternoons can be wickedly hot), admiring the brilliantly placed works of art as well as the Provence vistas, followed by a good lunch on the terrace of the pavilion is a remarkable experience that will stay with you for a very long time.
John Dunkelgrün
ARTANA latin American fine arts
Information: www.chateau-la-coste.com
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Is a Diplomat a diplomat?
By Dr. Eugenio Matos G., Honorary Associate Publisher of Diplomat Magazine; Minister Counselor, Charge d’affaires a.i. of the Dominican Republic Embassy in The Hague.
If the States Parties of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations could have imagined in 1961 the international scene of 2013, many of its articles would never have been written as they were. The purpose of diplomatic privileges and immunities are not to benefit diplomats, but to ensure the efficient performance of their function. Some sections of the Convention are becoming partially impracticable, and this is not only an issue of legal interpretation but a daily reality due to international customs and swift changes in modern society as well.
It is imperative to bear in mind that customs make laws, but the latter can hardly create the former on the democratic scene. During the 80s, an envoy concentrated most of his time on representing his country, negotiating bilateral and multilateral issues with official authorities, and reporting to headquarters the conditions and developments of the country to which he was assigned. Government-to-government, embassy to ministry of foreign affairs dispatches, were the cornerstone of diplomatic practice. This is not the case anymore, except in particular circumstances. The Vienna Convention’s raison d’être is not visualized from the same premises from which it was originally conceived.
Differing customs, as well as a country’s needs, make the general application of the Convention difficult. States Parties may interpret this from the point of view of their national statutes, conditional to their Constitution, their national security, human rights issues and so forth.
Who could imagine in 1961 that a Head of a Diplomatic mission would have to pass through the struggle of an airport security process as they do now? Try to place yourself in the 60s or even in the 80s. Imagine that at ‘X’ international airport, you, a foreign Ambassador holding a diplomatic passport in due form, are ordered by a security officer to take off your shoes and jacket, and demanded to hand over your wallet, personal belongings, including your keys, pennies, and hat, to open your suitcase, to put aside your belt and, to finalize the process, you are asked to extend your arms and legs like a hockey player? The answer: A clear sign of declaration of war or a momentum for a serious bilateral diplomatic crisis.
France, Italy and Holland, just to mention a few, offer an illustration of novel interpretations of the Convention. While most countries do not accredit their nationals or landing immigrants as diplomats, these three States do in some extension. Indeed, it is subject to acceptable conditions, such as the lifting of certain diplomatic immunities and privileges. This is a state-of-the-art legal interpretation of the Vienna Convention.
Although Canada does not accredit their own nationals, they might very well be on their way. Few Canadian officials are aware that Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (the ministry) has created an interesting precedent, which I would call a ‘quasi accreditation’. In fall 2004, the Department sent a ‘Note verbale’ to a foreign diplomatic mission in Ottawa in the following terms: “Albeit Mrs. X holds a Canadian passport and cannot be accredited as a diplomat in Canada, this Department has no objection that Mrs. X performs her duties at your embassy but without using the diplomatic title of Minister Counselor and pays her federal and provincial taxes in Canada”.
Quai d’Orsay has, in recent years, accredited diplomats in Paris holding French passports, including ambassadors! A similar scenario happened in other countries, with the implementation of accreditation of national diplomats. Besides the CD or CC license-plate, a diplomat nowadays is hardly visible. Diplomatic privilege & immunity might be a cumbersome matter to define. Another interesting issue to discuss would be the odd situation that diplomats are facing in some countries, with regards to the vulnerability of their driving and parking privileges in the receiving State. Amen…
The author holds Civil law bachelor degrees in Canada and in the Dominican Republic, with Masters in Public Administration in England and diplomacy in Malta. He is currently accredited to the International Criminal Court, Alternate Representative to the OPCW in Den Haag and Commissioner in the Netherlands of the Dominican International Trade & Investment Agency (CEI-RD).
Dutch prince Friso dies after 2012 ski accident
THE HAGUE, the Netherlands. Dutch prince Friso, younger brother of King Willem-Alexander, died on Monday 18 months after he was left brain-damaged by an avalanche while skiing in Austria, the palace said.”His Majesty the King announces with great regret that this morning his highness prince Johan Friso… died at the Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague, aged 44,” a palace statement said. “Prince Friso died from complications as a result of oxygen shortages during his ski accident on February 17, 2012,” the statement said. The prince had “minimal consciousness” and his condition was unchanged, the palace said.
Friso was injured while skiing off-piste in the Austrian Alps in February, 2012.
He was an experienced skier but nevertheless ventured off-piste with a friend while the avalanche risk warning was at four on a scale of one to five.
His friend was unhurt, but Friso spent around 20 minutes under the snow before rescuers pulled him out.
Friso was in July transferred from a hospital in London, where he lived, to the residence of his mother, former queen Beatrix, in The Hague.
FINE ARTS. Ron Amir
Ron Amir (Israel, 1975) tells in a passionate way contemporary stories, stories in which he’s not going atrocities and quirks out of the way, stories full of contradictions, engaging stories, stories that do not measure and that, especially in his drawings, could continue almost endless. He does so in a figurative expressionist style which colors represent content. He pulls the viewer, get him his story and let him share the experience.
After his national service he left his native country of Israel in his early twenties. With a clear mission: to become a painter. Via Rome, where he specialized in the restoration and copying of old masters, he went to Amsterdam, “because I distinctly wanted to go to the roots of Mondrian”.
Moving to The Netherlands meant more to him. Rome was a traditional environment, where the presence of the pope and the Catholic Church were strongly present. ’The move to the Netherlands was the moment I left the tradition’. Amsterdam, and later Groningen and Rotterdam, offered me the chance for a new start. For me this is the land of Jeroen Bosch and Mondrian, and everything in between.”
Amir contemplates life from an imaginary point somewhere floating above the earth. Like he is on another planet and try to pin down the essence of human existence.
The works consist of human figures, objects and spaces, but there is also room for abstract forms, demons and deformed creatures. The use of such elements and figures allow him to approach reality from an alternative perspective.
The large charcoal drawings depict a world that touches on reality while appearing surreal and absurd. Spaces and backgrounds are disfigured reflecting the subjects state of anguish and suffering. Objects also play a role with a deformed car and an elaborate underwater staircase which pose many question leading to ever more possible interpretations.
Political reality penetrates Amirs work, resembling surreal horror scenes from another world but find their origin in the mundane. The images come from merged newspaper clippings of atrocities, ranging from protesters setting themselves on fire to the photographed remains of suicide bombers. The work stimulates appall and dread with images of death and destruction, these however are not born of conscious, the horror in the works is a concentration of these violent forces of human nature. What could be compared with what we exposed to in the ever advancing culture of interactive media.
After his national service he left his native country of Israel in his early twenties. With a clear mission: to become a painter. Via Rome, where he specialized in the restoration and copying of old masters, he went to Amsterdam, “because I distinctly wanted to go to the roots of Mondrian”.
Moving to The Netherlands meant more to him. Rome was a traditional environment, where the presence of the pope and the Catholic Church were strongly present. ’The move to the Netherlands was the moment I left the tradition’. Amsterdam, and later Groningen and Rotterdam, offered me the chance for a new start. For me this is the land of Jeroen Bosch and Mondrian, and everything in between.”
Amir contemplates life from an imaginary point somewhere floating above the earth. Like he is on another planet and try to pin down the essence of human existence.
The works consist of human figures, objects and spaces, but there is also room for abstract forms, demons and deformed creatures. The use of such elements and figures allow him to approach reality from an alternative perspective.
The large charcoal drawings depict a world that touches on reality while appearing surreal and absurd. Spaces and backgrounds are disfigured reflecting the subjects state of anguish and suffering. Objects also play a role with a deformed car and an elaborate underwater staircase which pose many question leading to ever more possible interpretations.
Political reality penetrates Amirs work, resembling surreal horror scenes from another world but find their origin in the mundane. The images come from merged newspaper clippings of atrocities, ranging from protesters setting themselves on fire to the photographed remains of suicide bombers. The work stimulates appall and dread with images of death and destruction, these however are not born of conscious, the horror in the works is a concentration of these violent forces of human nature. What could be compared with what we exposed to in the ever advancing culture of interactive media.