Dutch Foreign Policy; The Role of the Netherlands in World Politics

Since the publication in 1995 of the first Dutch language edition of Dutch Foreign Policy, the book has become a standard work about Dutch foreign policy. Both the first and later editions of the book have been commended for their ordered clarity. The work describes the fortunes of a power that, in spite of its limited size, was able to maintain its role as a centre of trade and colonial power up to the Second World War by exercising a policy of caution and free trade. After the war and a difficult process of de-colonialism, the Netherlands joined NATO. It became one of the founding fathers of European integration. To this day, the Netherlands is a state which plays an important role on the world’s stage, actively participates in peace missions and relatively speaking, spends a great deal on foreign aid.