Her Excellency Ambassador Renée Jones-Bos, Embassy of the Netherlands

Ambassadors Roundtable

October 23, 2009

Event Audio

Event Video (Two Parts)

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Summary

On Friday, October 23, 2009, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) welcomed Dutch Ambassador Renée Jones-Bos as part of HSPI’s ongoing Ambassadors Roundtable Series on International Collaboration to Combat Terrorism and Insurgencies.  Joining the Ambassador was Peter Slort, the police attaché at the Dutch embassy in Washington.  Frank Cilluffo, HSPI’s Director, moderated the discussion.

Ambassador Jones-Bos began her remarks with a simple, yet profound point about Dutch counterterrorism policy:  “It is all about our core values.”  This position is the product of Dutch political culture and the nature of the terror threat.  Jones-Bos noted that threats exist from the extreme right, extreme left, as well as violent Islamists.  Nevertheless, 9/11, the murder of Theo van Gogh, and the deaths of two radicalized Dutch citizens in Kashmir in 2002, served as a wake-up call concerning Islamist terrorism. 

Ambassador Jones-Bos explained that in recent years a demographic shift had occurred within the Netherlands.  As a result of immigration, six percent of the country’s population is now Muslim—just under one million people.  Although most are integrated into Dutch society, Jones-Bos argued that socio-economic factors and a polarized political debate over immigration have engendered a sense of disenfranchisement among segments of that population.  Potential radicalization of these individuals poses a threat which the Netherlands seeks to counter by means of a comprehensive strategy that aims to support local authorities, reduce discrimination, and foster a sense of inclusion among young Muslims.

Mr. Cilluffo observed “one of the most interesting aspects is that the Dutch have recognized that many of the solutions reside outside government all together.”  Cilluffo then asked what lessons the Dutch had learned from their experiences.  Jones-Bos responded that in hindsight, one mistake was having exercised early on, “tolerance that was almost a form of indifference”; and that Dutch officials should have engaged sooner with communities at the local level.

In discussing police outreach efforts, Peter Slort suggested that effective engagement requires establishing relationships and empowering voices at the local level.  Slort noted that although Dutch police provide education and training to local communities, “we don’t reach out to get intelligence— that has to be very clear, otherwise you don’t get anywhere.”  However such programs are in part designed to provide citizens with information regarding what to do should they observe something that they believe poses a potential threat to Dutch society.

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Terrorism in the Netherlands

"The horrifying attacks of September 11 opened the eyes of the world to the dangers of jihadist terrorism. Even the Netherlands was not immune to this threat. This realisation was soon driven home by a smaller incident: the death of two young Dutch Muslims in Kashmir in January 2002. Suddenly, we were confronted with the question: what were these two ordinary young men doing in this dangerous part of the world, which had long been the scene of violent clashes between the Indian army and Islamic militants?"
- Testimony by Lidewijde Ongering, Deputy National Coordinator for Counterterrorism before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

HSPI has identified the following resources as beneficial for providing a range of information related to terrorism and counterterrorism in the Netherlands:

Dutch Government Assessments

Akerboom, E.S.M. (Jun 2003) Counter-terrorism in the Netherlands.Police Magazine.

General Intelligence and Security Service (The Netherlands).(Mar 2006) Violent Jihad in the Netherlands.

General Intelligence and Security Service (The Netherlands). (Dec 2004) From Dawa to Jihad.

General Intelligence and Security Service (The Netherlands). (2006) Saudi Influences in the Netherlands. Testimony.

General Intelligence and Security Service (The Netherlands). (2004) AIVD Annual Report 2004.

General Intelligence and Security Service (The Netherlands). (2006) AIVD Annual Report 2006.

General Intelligence and Security Service (The Netherlands). (2008) AIVD Annual Report 2008.

Ministry of Defence (The Netherlands). (2009) Netherlands Defense Intelligence and Security Service. Brochure.

National Coordinator for Counterterrorism (The Netherlands). (Feb 2007) Jihadis and the Internet.

Ongering, Lidewijde. (27 Jun 2007) Home-Grown Terrorism and Radicalisation in the Netherlands. Testimony before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee..

Transnational Terrorism, Security & the Rule of Law Research Project. (24 Oct 2008) Ethical Bottlenecks – Country Study, the Netherlands.  

Journal Articles & Papers

Janse, Ronald. (Jun 2005). Fighting Terrorism in the Netherlands; A Historical Perspective. Utrecht Law Review. Vol. 1 No 1. p. 55-67.

Luiijf, E.; Burger, H. & Klaver, M. (2003). Critical Infrastructure Protection in the Netherlands: A Quick-scan. In U.E. Gattiker (Ed.), EICAR Conference Best Paper Proceedings (ISBN: 87-987271-2-5) 19 pages. Copenhagen: EICAR.

Nelen, Hans. (Jun 2004). Hit them where it hurts most? The proceeds-of-crime approach in the Netherlands. Crime, Law and Social Change. Vol. 41 No. 5. p. 517-534.

Rasser, Martijn. (Nov-Dec 2005) The Dutch Response to Moluccan Terrorism, 1970-1978. Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. Vol. 28 No. 6. p. 481-492.

Transnational Terrorism, Security & the Rule of Law Research Project. (15 Apr 2007, revised Apr 2008) The ‘Hofstadgroep’.

van der Krans, Anatoli. (Dec 2005) Terrorism and financial supervision. Utrecht Law Review. Vol. 1 Iss. 2. p. 119-133.

van der Veen, A. Maurits. (2007) Framing Anti-Terrorism Policies: Debates in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.University of Georgia, Department of International Affairs, Occassional Papers Series. Vol. 1 No. 2.

Vermaat, J.A.E. (1987) Terrorist Sympathizers in the Netherlands. Terrorism. Vol. 10 Iss. 4. p. 329-335.

News Acounts

Buruma, Ian. (29 Jan 2009) Totally Tolerant, Up to a Point. New York Times.

Houser, Mark. (22 May 2005) Trials, Violence Divide Netherlands. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Sterling, Toby. (6 Dec 2005) Dutch terrorism trial opens in confusion as witness stays silent. The Independent.

Van Santen, Rutger. (2 Oct 2005) Dutch parliament looks set to back radical anti-terror plans. Radio Nederland Wereldomroep.

Ambassador Renée Jones-Bos

The Ambassadors Roundtable Series is designed to provide Ambassadors to the United States and their key diplomatic staff with a forum to discuss current and future counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts on a regional or country-specific basis. In an effort to draw upon various insights and experiences, the Ambassadors Roundtable Series builds upon and institutionalizes efforts over the past two years to engage in a dialogue with members of the international community, policy makers, and practitioners.