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![]() Netherlands | ![]() United States |
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Diplomatic mission | |
Dutch Embassy, Washington, D.C. | United States Embassy, The Hague |
Envoy | |
Ambassador André Haspels | Ambassador Shefali Razdan Duggal |
Diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and the United States started in 1776 with the first salute at St. Eustatius's Fort Oranje and continues to this day as one of the oldest continual bilateral alliances in the western world. [1] Today they are described as "excellent" by the United States Department of State [2] and "close" by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. [3] Founding members of the North Atlantic Alliance and allies since John Adams's visit to the Netherlands in 1782, it is considered one of the strongest military and economic alliances in contemporary history. [4]
The United States and the Netherlands work together both bilaterally and multilaterally in such institutions as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as within the European Union to advance the shared US goal of a more open and market-led world economy and militarily in the context of the North Atlantic Treaty.
As the two nations were never at war or in serious conflict U.S. President Ronald Reagan referred to the alliance in 1982 as "the longest unbroken, peaceful relationship that we have had with any other nation." [5] In 2011 U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed that "we have no stronger ally than the Netherlands". [6] In 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump remarked that "the relationship with the Netherlands has never been better than it is now". [7] The two countries have been allies in recent decades in military, anti-terrorism, anti-piracy and peacekeeping missions. They are also the third largest (from the Netherlands to the United States) and largest (from the United States to the Netherlands) direct foreign investors in each other's economies.
The United States of America and the Kingdom of the Netherlands have been close allies since the United States became a sovereign nation with the treaty of Paris after the American Revolutionary War and have kept unbroken bilateral ties since.
Starting in the late 16th century, the Dutch and other Europeans began to colonize the eastern coast of North America. The Dutch named their territory New Netherland, which became a colony of the Dutch Republic in 1624. The Dutch colonial settlement of New Amsterdam later became New York City. The present-day flag of New York City is based on the flag of Republic of the United Netherlands. [8] Following the Act of Abjuration the newly independent Dutch Republic quickly rose to power as a major naval power during the Dutch Golden Age. Although primarily focused on the East, New Amsterdam and other Dutch colonies in the Americas quickly rose to significant importance for the Dutch West India Company. After the conclusion of the Second Anglo-Dutch War with the Treaty of Breda the Dutch Republic did not press its claim on New Netherland ending formal Dutch colonization of America.
In the 18th century the Dutch republic supported the Thirteen Colonies during American Revolution from the outset as it was still embroiled in disputes with the British Empire over naval supremacy. Dutch merchants sold many goods to the American rebels, which helped the Thirteen Colonies gain independence from the British Empire. [9] Nearly 4,000 tons of gunpowder was sent by the Dutch in the first half of 1775 alone, many more followed in the next years. The Dutch merchants also provided daily shipments of goods to the American Rebels. [10] Gunpowder was not the only thing they supplied them with; the Dutch also supplied the American Rebels with weapons, including muskets and Dutch long-arms, and tulips. [11] In 1780 John Adams was able to secure a $2 million loan from the Dutch Republic which was vital in funding the revolutionary war. [12] Some historians even argue that without the Dutch helping the American rebels, the outcome of the American Revolutionary War might have been a British victory. [13]
Though the action was disavowed by the government of the Netherlands, on November 16, 1776, the fort at St. Eustatius gave the first formal salute (firing its guns nine times) to a ship flying the American flag. [14] After the pilgrims had lived and worked in Leiden, many founding fathers advocated for a diplomatic mission to the Netherlands. [15] On 19 April 1782, John Adams was received by the States General in The Hague and recognized as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America. By doing so, it became the second foreign country to recognize the United States [16] (after France on February 6, 1778). [17] The house that Adams purchased in The Hague became the first American embassy in the world. [18] Historically the support and friendship offered by the Dutch people to then ambassador John Adams in support of his petition to the States General to defeat the British Empire during the Revolutionary War is seen as the start of the unbroken alliance between the Netherlands and the United States.
Dutch officers in Sumatra (then part of the Dutch East Indies) assisted the U.S. Navy during the First and Second Sumatran Expeditions in 1832 and 1838 respectively. Both operations were punitive expeditions, carried out against Chiefdom of Kuala Batee after the crews of U.S. merchant ships were massacred by the native Malays.
In 1861–63 the Lincoln administration looked abroad for places to relocate freed slaves who wanted to leave the United States. It opened U.S. negotiations with the Dutch government regarding African American migration and colonization of the Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. Nothing came of the idea, and after 1864 the idea was dropped. [19]
U.S. and Dutch soldiers fought together during the Siege of the International Legations, part of the larger Boxer Rebellion in China.
The Netherlands was steadfastly neutral in the late 19th and early 20th century trading with everyone but avoiding alliances. In foreign affairs it build up its overseas empire especially in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). Neutrality did not stop the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940. The Dutch government in exile remained allied to the United States and Dutch troops fought side by side with American troops in various theaters including the Pacific and Europe. The Dutch Resistance supplied intelligence and cooperated with the American effort to liberate Europe at the command of Queen Wilhelmina. [20]
In peacetime following its liberation in 1945 by allied forces neutrality was no longer attractive for the Netherlands and they turned to the new hegemony of the United States as their principal security partner and in turn supported the United States goals in global political affairs. The Dutch tried for years to recover its valuable colony of Indonesia, but the United States was impressed with the anti-communist stance of the Indonesian Republic, and insisted that the Dutch leave. Resentfully, they did so, and refocused their attention on West European and trans-Atlantic relations. [21] By the 1950s, according to Giles Scott-Smith the Americans considered the Dutch to be perfect allies in the Cold War:
The Dutch were politically close to the UK and were opposed to European affairs being dominated by either a renewed France or a resurgent Germany....the Dutch body politic, dominated as it was by the democratic socialists and Christian parties, was resoundingly anti-communist in outlook. The Netherlands was also positive towards a US-led free-trade regime, and during the Cold War was wholly committed to building a managed post-war economic and political order based around international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). [22]
In the post-war peace the U.S. was generous with Marshall Plan funds, designed to modernize Dutch technology and help it integrate into what became the European Union. The Netherlands political climate was dominated by a desire to never see war on the European continent again in the wake of World War 2 and Dutch foreign minister Dirk Uipko Stikker started advocating for a strong, militarily integrated trans-Atlantic alliance. Together with other Western Union members (Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom) and with the backing of the United States' secretary of state George C. Marshall they negotiated the Treaty of Brussels.
In recognition of the Dutch People's admiration and respect for the war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower, on his birthday October 14, 1947 at the Dutch embassy in Washington, D.C., ambassador Eelco van Kleffens presented the "legendary hero of World War II" with an ‘honorary sabre’. Weighing nearly five pounds, the gold-encrusted sabre was embedded with hundreds of gemstones and had been meticulously handcrafted by one of the most skillful goldsmiths in The Netherlands; Edelsmidse Brom Edelsmidse Brom [ nl ] in Utrecht. [23]
With the Dutch American alliance for the first time taking on a decidedly military character, talks at the Pentagon in early 1948 laid the foundation for the North Atlantic Treaty. In recognition of his earlier work in establishing the Western Union, Dwight D Eisenhower advocated for Dirk Uipko Stikker to become its third secretary general. [24]
Immediately following the tighter integration of military forces in the context of NATO, the United States became increasingly worried about the rise of communism in the second phase of the Cold War, culminating in the Korean War. With their newly established military cooperation, the Netherlands joined the United Nations Command. Despite strong anti-war sentiments in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Detachment United Nations (NDVN) was deployed to assist the United States military operation, with maritime efforts following shortly after. [25]
As prosperity returned, Dutch tourists increasingly came to the United States. They had become fascinated by American movies, music, and television programs and took advantage of the sharp drop in transatlantic airfares in the 1960s. The tourists chose destinations based on their media exposure, so Hollywood and New York City were favored. Tourism thus reinforced the stereotypical images portrayed in the American media. [26]
Relations became tense in 1981 when United States President Ronald Reagan rejected détente and escalated the Cold War. Reagan deployed cruise missiles or INF (intermediate-range nuclear forces) weapons at Woensdrecht in the Netherlands to counter new Soviet missile deployments. A wave of protest resulted. In 1982 four Dutch journalists were killed by Washington-backed government forces in El Salvador. To calm the tensions, Washington sent a new ambassador, Paul Bremer. By 1985 he won Dutch approval for the INF deployment and the Dutch supported Reagan's dealings with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. [27]
In 1989 with tensions building in the lead up to the first Gulf War, the Netherlands joined the US led coalition against Iraq at the request of US secretary of state James Baker.
The Netherland and United States have been both held active roles in global peacekeeping efforts in the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sinai Peninsula.
The countries were described by President George W. Bush as "brother nations", [28] and by President Barack Obama as "closest friends which friendship will never die". Obama has also said that, "Without the Netherlands there wouldn't be a United States of America as everyone knows it now".[ citation needed ]
The bilateral relations between the two nations are based on historical and cultural ties as well as a common dedication to individual freedom and human rights. The Netherlands shares with the United States a liberal economic outlook and is committed to free trade. The Netherlands is the third-largest direct foreign investor in the United States, [29] and the Dutch-American trade and investment relationship is supporting close to 625,000 American jobs [30] with Texas, California and Pennsylvania benefiting most from these economic ties. [31] The United States is the third-largest direct foreign investor in the Netherlands.
The United States and the Netherlands often have similar positions on issues and work together both bilaterally and multilaterally in such institutions as the United Nations and NATO. The Dutch have worked with the United States at the World Trade Organization, in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as well as within the European Union to advance the shared US goal of a more open and market-led world economy.
In 2001 the United States was attacked during the September 11 attacks and in response invoked article 5 of the North Atlantic Alliance for the first time since its inception. The royal armed forces of the Netherlands responded by mobilizing the 11th Airmobile Brigade and most of its active duty Air Force and started to actively patrol European air space with the halting of global commercial air travel to the United States with the activation of the SCATANA plan. The Dutch government's head of state Wim Kok issued a statement vowing to bring to justice any and all perpetrators of the attack at any cost. [32] [33] Queen Beatrix conveyed her condolences per telegram to president Bush. [34] With the subsequent United States invasion of Afghanistan the Netherlands were active participants in the International Security Assistance Force and Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2005, George W. Bush traveled to several countries including the Netherlands to commemorate the 60th anniversary of World War 2 ending and commemorate Victory in Europe Day at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial at Margraten near Maastricht. [35] George W. Bush met with Jan Peter Balkenende during the visit to discuss trade and security matters. It is widely believed that Dutch Prime Minister asked for the end of using the Netherlands as a hub in the CIA's extraordinary renditions. [36] [37]
In 2016, the Netherlands joined the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. [38]
In 2024, the Netherlands and the United States entered into security agreements with Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as part of a larger NATO initiative to support Ukraine with ammunition and weapons systems. [39] As part of the agreement the United States approved delivery of advanced F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands to Ukraine. [40] The appointment of Mark Rutte as Secretary General of NATO was favored by the United States president Joe Biden. [41]
In the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, the U.S. has a consulate-general
The U.S. Consulate General in Willemstad operates as its own mission, with the Consul General as the "Chief of Mission". As such, the Consul General is not under the jurisdiction of the Ambassador to the Netherlands, and reports directly to the U.S. Department of State as do other chiefs of mission, who are ambassadors in charge of embassies. [42]
Under the Basic Law, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is exclusively in charge of its internal affairs, whilst the central government of China is responsible for its foreign affairs and defence. As a separate customs territory, Hong Kong maintains and develops relations with foreign states and regions, and plays an active role in such international organisations as World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in its own right under the name of Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong participates in 16 projects of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The foreign policy of the Netherlands is based on four basic commitments: to the Atlantic cooperation, to European integration, to international development and to international law. While historically the Kingdom of the Netherlands was a neutral state, since 1945 it has become a member of NATO, the United Nations, the European Union and many other international organizations. The Dutch economy is very open and relies on international trade. During and after the 17th century—its Golden Age—the Dutch built up a commercial and colonial empire. It was a leading shipping and naval power and was often at war with England, its main rival. Its main colonial holding was Indonesia, which fought for and achieved independence after 1945. The historical ties inherited from its colonial past still influence the foreign relations of the Netherlands. Foreign trade policy is handled by the European Union. The Dutch have been active in international peacekeeping roles.
Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP), now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), diplomat, and jurist. He served as Secretary General of NATO from 1 October 1971 until 25 June 1984.
The U.S. Embassy in Austria is located in Vienna. Since 2023, the United States Ambassador to Austria is Victoria Reggie Kennedy. The Austrian Embassy in the U.S. is located in Washington, D.C.
Indonesia and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1949. Relations are generally strong and close. Both are republics and recognize the strategic importance of their counterpart.
Italy and the United States enjoy warm and friendly relations. The United States has had diplomatic representation in the nation of Italy and its predecessor nation, the Kingdom of Italy, since 1840. However, in 1891 the Italian government severed diplomatic relations and briefly contemplated war against the US as a response to the unresolved case of the lynching of eleven Italians in New Orleans, Louisiana, and there was a break in relations from 1941 to 1943, while Italy and the United States were at war.
Peru and the United States established relations on May 2, 1826, following Peru's independence from Spain.
Portugal–United States relations are bilateral relations between Portugal and the United States.
The United States and South Africa currently maintain bilateral relations with one another. The United States and South Africa have been economically linked to one another since the late 18th century which has continued into the 21st century. United States and South Africa relations faced periods of strain throughout the 20th century due to the segregationist, white minority rule in South Africa, from 1948 to 1994. Following the end of apartheid in South Africa, the United States and South Africa have developed a strategically, politically, and economically beneficial relationship with one another and currently enjoy "cordial relations" despite "occasional strains". South Africa remains the United States' largest trading partner in Africa as of 2019.
Netherlands–Russia relations is the relationships between the two countries, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Russian Federation. Russia has an embassy in The Hague, and the Netherlands has an embassy in Moscow, a consulate in Saint Petersburg, and an honorary consulate in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Foreign relations exist between Austria and Netherlands. Austria has an embassy in The Hague and 2 honorary consulates. The Netherlands have an embassy in Vienna and 6 honorary consulates. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe, OECD, OSCE and the European Union.
Netherlands–Romania relations are the bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Romania. The Ambassador to Romania is concurrently accredited to Moldova. Romania has an embassy in The Hague and honorary consulates in Heeg, Rotterdam and Venlo. The Netherlands has an embassy in Bucharest, honorary consulates in Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara and Constanța, and since 2016 an office in Chișinău in Moldova.
Japan–Netherlands relations are the bilateral relations between Japan and the Netherlands. Relations between Japan and the Netherlands date back to 1609, when the first formal trade relations were established.
Dutch–Turkish relations are the bilateral relations between the Netherlands and Turkey. The diplomatic relations widely encompass and span four centuries, beginning in 1612. The first Turkish representative in the Netherlands started activities in 1859.
Netherlands–South Africa refers to the current and historical relations between the Netherlands and South Africa. Both nations share historic ties and have a long-standing special relationship, partly due to the Dutch colony in the Cape, linguistic similarity between Dutch and Afrikaans and the Netherlands' staunch support in the struggle against Apartheid.
The Netherlands–Pakistan relations refers to the bilateral, economic, cultural and historical relations between the Netherlands and Pakistan. The Netherlands maintains a permanent embassy in Islamabad and honorary consulates in Karachi and Lahore. Pakistan has an embassy in The Hague.
India–Netherlands relations are the foreign relations between India and the Netherlands. India maintains an embassy in The Hague, Netherlands and the Netherlands maintains an embassy in New Delhi and a consulate general in Mumbai. Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1947 the same year India became independent.
France–Netherlands relations are the interstate and bilateral relations between France and the Netherlands. The two countries notably share a border division in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, to which the northern part of the island is a French overseas collectivity known as the Collectivity of Saint Martin, while the southern part of the island is a Dutch constituent country known as Sint Maarten. Relations between the two countries date back to the 17th and 18th centuries when a conflict led to the transformation of the Dutch Republic to the Batavian Republic and eventually the Kingdom of Holland. The two countries currently enjoy close cultural and economic relations. Both nations are members of the OECD and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as well as founding members of the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations.
Kurdistan Region–Netherlands relations are bilateral relations between Kurdistan Region and the Netherlands. While Kurdistan Region has no representation in the Netherlands, the Netherlands has a consulate general in Erbil since 2012. The Netherlands has a military presence in Kurdistan Region and have aided the region with humanitarian aid. The Netherlands also contributed to reforms of the Kurdish economy with 250,000 euros in 2017. In August 2016, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited Kurdistan Region and met with high-ranking Kurdish officials and deployed Dutch soldiers. Concerning Kurdish independence, Dutch MP Harry Van Bommel stated that: "I will ask my party to support independent Kurdistan because I think independence is the best way to secure the future of the people in this Region".
This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.