ASSESSMENTS

The Netherlands: Pulling a Plug on the EU

Sep 17, 2008 | 19:38 GMT

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images

Summary

On the surface, two EU deals blocked by the Netherlands this week — one involving Belarus, the other Serbia — make sense from a human-rights point of view. Where they do not add up is in the context of a resurgent Russia. The explanation is rooted in geopolitics.

Resistance to two key EU deals aligns well with regional Dutch roles as balancer and pragmatist....

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