Roof Tiles and Trojan Horses: Dutch views on the Soviet Union and European security at the end of the Cold War

Abstract

This thesis investigates perceptions of the government of the Netherlands towards the Soviet Union’s potential role in a European security framework during the pivotal period of November 1989 to November 1990. Applying the Foreign Policy Analysis toolkit of Jean-Frédéric Morin & Jonathan Paquin, an overview is created of government discourse along three topics: 1) New Thinking’ in Soviet diplomacy, 2) the Helsinki process, and 3) the reunification of Germany. Archival research was conducted in the Dutch National Archive in the Hague. Sources originating from the Dutch government including cabinet documents, policy memorandums, diplomatic correspondence and speeches by senior officials shape the main body of evidence. Findings reveal a dual attitude in The Hague: cautious optimism toward Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms and East-West rapprochement, in combination with pessimist outlooks on stability in the USSR, leading to adherence of Cold War security structures, specifically NATO. Dutch foreign policy statements during this period aligned with the three traditions identified by Joris Voorhoeve’s work Peace, Profits and Principles (1975).