Kirsty McHenry | Trump’s policies echo what is happening in the Netherlands
American news is for many Europeans their favourite form of entertainment, writes Kirsty McHenry. But how funny is it what actually happens there, and haven’t we seen this story before - here, in the Netherlands?
Although the USA has long had a reputation as the unofficial entertainment capital of the world, lately, it’s been the country’s national news which many Europeans would consider their favourite form of spectacle. Over the past several weeks, each new episode (or broadcast, that is) has brought with it shocking twists and turns, from the sparking of trade wars to the skewering of foreign leaders. However, as engrossed as I am in the mounting stakes of the USA’s political affairs, I can’t help but feel we’ve seen this plot before. Arguably, Trump’s latest antics could be viewed as the American spin on economic policies that we have already watched play out at home in the Netherlands. As chilling (and, at times, thrilling) as it can be to observe the events unfolding on the other side of the Atlantic, it would be an ironic twist if we were to let the absurdity of the USA’s economic policy distract us from our own government’s efforts to cast itself as the rational actor.
While Trump’s new policies make European headlines, on closer inspection many of his proposals are not as alien as we might like to think. For instance, Trump’s reasoning behind his recent cuts to Columbia University’s funding sounds all too familiar. The US President cited the university’s response to last Spring’s (in his words) “illegal protests” in solidarity with Palestine as cause for the targeted slash in funding. With another demonstration against the budget cuts to higher education planned for this coming Monday, it’s fair to say those of us in the Netherlands have heard this story before. Much like Trump, many PVV politicians are pointing to the presence of political activism on university campuses as the reason for the cuts. Indeed, given that the Dutch cuts are already well in motion, it seems that it is actually the USA who’s late to the party.
As with the Trump administration, however, punishing student activism is certainly not the only motivation behind the PVV-led coalition’s questionable spending policies. In regard to its handling of public funds, the Dutch government is taking an increasingly “Netherlands First” approach. Along with higher education, foreign development aid is also taking a blow as the Netherlands launches a new policy that sees it cut billions in funds. Approval of the policy came a month before Trump chose to suspend all US foreign aid (USAID) (leaving a significant deficit in its wake).
Amid the panicked reaction to the withdrawal of USAID, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment, Reinette Klever, announced an updated version of the policy which will demand that the funds that are spent “contribute directly to our own [Dutch] interests”. Of course, while foreign aid is almost always given with the expectation that it will indirectly benefit the donor, the updated policy makes it so the benefits to the Netherlands are the explicit goal. Klever’s brazen nationalism is a notable divergence from the usual, Western European rhetoric of benevolence and cooperation and instead closely echoes that of American politicians, like Trump.
In Europe, the USA is often held up as an extreme comparison. Its unfettered capitalism and heavy-handed consumerist culture make for an entertaining backdrop to seemingly level-headed European sensibilities. However, perhaps it is time to consider that the gap between the USA and countries like the Netherlands is not as staggering as previously believed. The Dutch government’s attitude clearly reflects its perception of the Netherlands’ shifting role in the current global order. In view of this, its new spending policies suggest a state that, like Trump’s USA, is looking out for number one.
