Idealism and Self-Interest in the World

Abstract

Although the global geopolitical ambitions of the Republic of the United Seven Provinces and the Dutch colonial empire are long gone, the Netherlands is still a power of some significance. After a painful process of decolonization and adaptation to the postwar realities, the Netherlands has become a prosperous Northwestern European country that is an active member of the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (nato). In the 1960s and 1970s, it even gained a reputation as a liberal, progressive, and tolerant society, an idealist supporter of the United Nations, and a generous donor of development aid. In recent years, however, a certain unease and insecurity over the international position and identity of the Netherlands have crept into the minds of the Dutch political elites, which also affects decision-making in the field of foreign relations.