Government advisor says the country has to make tough decisions regarding world policy

The Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) has said in a new report that a major reorientation of the Netherlands' position in the world is needed due to the world's increasingly fragmented nature and "geopolitical grimness." Painful choices will have to be made, the WRR added.

According to the council, international relations were favorable for the Netherlands for a long time. After the Second World War, it was West against East, and after the fall off the wall, the United States was left as the only superpower. But that clear situation has changed drastically in the last decade.

The government advisor sees major global fragmentation as threatening Dutch foreign policy's three core interests. These concerns values like democracy, resiliency interests, including safety and welfare, and issues like the standard of living and earning capacity.

Fragmentation is everywhere. There are now more superpowers (United States, China, India, Russia, and European Union) but also a few medium-sized powers like Brazil and Iran. They are also waging their power struggle in more areas than before, trying to gain "economic and financial dominance over rivals." There has also been an end to the dominance of Western liberal thinking in an ideological sense.

Painful choices must be made because the safety situation has worsened significantly. The WRR thinks that more money will have to be spent on resilience, and that will sometimes have to come at the cost of welfare. The emphasis in the economy would be less on efficiency and more on reducing dependency.

The WRR has three recommendations. First, the Netherlands has to become "geopolitically robust." In addition to investments in safety, more money needs to be invested in increasing knowledge. The WRR thinks that a safety planning office could help with this. They also warned against cuts to embassies.

Secondly, the focus should be on strengthening the European Union. They should build on a Europe that would form a group of power. Lastly, society needs to be made aware of what is at stake. Civilians and companies need to become much more involved in this.

Quick action is needed, the council thinks. "Dutch and European players must realize that the game has quickly become very grim and erratic. That development continues. There is, therefore, no room for procrastination and naivety."