Dr. Nikolaos (Koos) van Dam* Ambassador Special Envoy for Syria
© Emma van Dam
Curriculum Vitae Born April 1st, 1945 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Married to Marinka van DamBogaerts. Father of a daughter and three sons. Studied Political & Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, including International Relations and History of the Modern Middle East, as well as the Arabic Language and Islam, graduating cum laude in 1973 with the degree of Doctorandus (Drs) of Political & Social Sciences. Was awarded the degree of Doctor of Literature at the University of Amsterdam in 1977, after successfully defending his thesis on The Role of Sectarianism, Regionalism and Tribalism in the Struggle for Political Power in Syria.
1970-1973 1970-1975
Taught Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Amsterdam. Field research in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan.
1974-1975 1975-1976
1976-1980 1980-1983
1983-1985 1985-1988 1988-1991 1991-1996 1996-1999 1999-2005 2005-2010
Interpreter of Arabic (Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands). Staff Member of the International Technical Assistance Department of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dealing with Yemen. Staff Member of the Middle East Section of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. First Secretary at the Netherlands Embassy in Beirut, covering Lebanon, Jordan, Palestinian occupied territories (West Bank) and Cyprus. Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the Netherlands in Tripoli, Libya. Deputy Director for African and Middle Eastern Affairs at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador of the Netherlands in Baghdad, Iraq (accreditation until 2004). Ambassador of the Netherlands in Cairo, covering Egypt and the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967. Ambassador of the Netherlands in Ankara, covering Turkey and Azerbaijan. Ambassador of the Netherlands in Bonn & Berlin, Germany. Ambassador of the Netherlands in Jakarta, covering Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Ambassador of the Netherlands to ASEAN (2010). Retired August 1st, 2010, as the longest serving Ambassador of the Netherlands (22 years) in the most senior rank.
2011-
Member of the Dutch Advisory Council for Foreign Affairs, Commission for Peace and Security.
2011-
Member of the Board of the Foundation The Oriental Institute, Leiden.
2011-
Member of the Advisory Board for Education and Research of the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations.
2012-
Member of the Advisory Council of The Rights Forum.
2012-
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesia Nederland Society.
2015-
Special Envoy of the Netherlands for Syria.
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Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau – The Netherlands (1983), in recognition for his role as Chargé d’Affaires a.i. in Lebanon during the Israeli invasion of 1982. Officer in the Order of Orange Nassau – The Netherlands (1991), in recognition for his role as Ambassador in Iraq during the Gulf War in 1990. Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (2003), in recognition for his role as representative of the Luxembourg European Presidency in Turkey in 1997. Knight Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2005), after serving for almost seven years as Ambassador in Germany.
Languages Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian and Spanish.
Publications Books 1. The Struggle for Power in Syria: Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba'th Party, Fourth Edition, London & New York (I.B. Tauris), 2011 (5th printing 2013). Also available as e-book. 2. Al-Sira' 'ala al-Sultah fi Suriyah: al-Ta'ifiyah wa al-Iqlimiyah wa al'Asha'iriyah fi al-Siyasah, First Authorised Electronic Edition, Jakarta, 2007. Published in two earlier editions in Cairo (Maktabat Madbuli), 1995. 3. Suriye’de İktidar Mücadelesi, Istanbul (İlitişim Yayınları), 2000. 4. De Vrede die niet kwam. Twintig jaar diplomaat in het Midden-Oosten, Amsterdam (Bulaaq), 1998 (& Jan Keulen). Also as audiobook and in braille, Nijmegen (Stichting Bibliotheek Le Sage ten Broek), 1998.
5. Hulanda wa al-'Alam al-'Arabi: Mundhu al-Qurun al-Wusta hatta al-Qarn al-'Ishrin (ed.), Lochem (De Tijdstroom), 1987. 6. Nederland en de Arabische Wereld: van Middeleeuwen tot Twintigste Eeuw (ed.), Lochem (De Tijdstroom), 1987. 7. De Rol van Sektarisme, Regionalisme en Tribalisme bij de Strijd om de Politieke Macht in Syrië (1961-1976), PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam, 1977. Articles in: Acta Politica, All4Syria, Artissage, Asian Affairs, BBC World Service (View Points), Berliner Zeitung, Bibliotheca Orientalis, The Browser, Bijdragen tot de Taal- Land- en Volkenkunde (Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania), BZ-blad, al-Diyar, Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, De Grote Winkler Prins Encyclopedie, al-Hayat, The Independent, Internationale Spectator, Al-Jadid, The Jakarta Post, Joop.nl, Kompas, Majalah Tempo, Majallat Markaz al-Dirasat al-Filastiniyah, Middle East International, The Middle East Journal, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, The Montréal Review, The Muslim World, NRC-Handelsblad, Orient, ORIENT XXI, De Paraplu, Pikiran Rakyat, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, Republika, al-Safir, Spiegel Historiael, Strategic Review, Suara Pembaruan, Syria Comment, The Syrian Observer, Syrian Studies Association Bulletin/Newsletter, Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis,Tijdschrift voor Moderne Geschiedenis, Vrij Nederland, Die Welt des Islams, World Literature Magazine, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft.
Interviews with: ABC News, AFP, Al-Ahram, al-Akhbar, Algemeen Dagblad, ALL4SYRIA/Kulluna Shuraka' fi al-Watan, Azzikra, BBC Worldservice, Berliner Zeitung, BNR Radio, BN De Stem, Dagblad de Limburger, The Daily Star, Den Haag Centraal, DEPERS.NL, Deutsche Welle, The Economist, The Economic Times, The Egyptian Gazette, The Epoch Times, Elsevier, Het Financieele Dagblad, Al-Ghad, GQ.com Magazine, The Guardian, Haagsche Courant, alHayat, IKON, Internationale Samenwerking, Knack, Max Magazine, Met het Oog op Morgen, NRC-Handelsblad, Radio NOS.NL, The Jakarta Post, Jawa Pos, Knack, Kompas, Marinjo, Middle East Times, al-Mushahid al-Siyasi, Nieuw Israëlitisch Weekblad, De Morgen, Het Parool, al-Qabas, Radio 1, Radio 1 België, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Reformatorisch Dagblad, Republika,
Rotterdams Dagblad, Reuters, RTÉ (Irish Radio), Radio 1, Rudaw, Sinar Harapan, Soera, De Standaard, Syria Deeply, De Telegraaf, Trouw, The Toronto Star, De Tijd, VARA Gids, De Volkskrant, Vrij Nederland, VPRO Radio, Watani, ZemZem. Television Interviews with: Altijd Wat (VPRO), Andere Tijden, Aljazeera (Arabic), Aljazeera (English), BBC World Service, Brandpunt, Buitenhof, EénVandaag, Knevel & Van den Brink, Nieuwsuur, Pauw en Witteman, Radio Netherlands Worldservice, TVRI, QTV & Swara.
Articles 1. 'Indonesië toont: islam kan met democratie', NRC-Handelsblad, 8 July 2014. 2. 'Syrie, pourqui l'Occident a échoé', ORIENT XXI, 2 June 2014. 3. 'Syria: Let the West stop raising false expectations', Syria Comment, 19 May 2014. 4. 'The Syrian Revolution after three years: a painful struggle between life and death', The Syrian Observer, 21 March 2014. 5. 'Sira' Mu'lim bayna al-Hayat wa al-Mawt', al-Hayat, 15 March 2014. 6. 'Bolkestein zit fout, Westen laat zich door Israël gijzelen', NRCHandelsblad, 24 January 2014. 7. 'Impressive Syria Studies by Fabrice Balanche', Syria Comment, 30 November 2013. 8. 'Is de twee-statenoplossing nog te redden?' Joop.nl, 20 June 2013. 9. 'Ḥāfiẓ al-Asad', Encyclopaedia of Islam Three, pp. 34-35, Leiden, 2013-2. 10. 'Closing the Dutch Institutes in Bilad al-Sham', Syrian Studies Association Bulletin, May 2013. 11. 'The world map through post-colonial eyes: Indonesia and Oceania', The Jakarta Post, 7 & 8 March 2013. 12. 'Hall al-Azmat al-Suriyah wa Mu'iqatuha', al-Mutarjimun al-Suriyun alAhrar & All4Syria, 30 July 2012. 13. 'Deposing the Assad regime by military means does not imply that subsequently a democracy will be installed', BBC World Service, View Points, 18 July 2012. 14. 'How to Solve or Not to Solve the Syrian Crisis?', Orient, III-2012, pp. 3137.
15. 'Has the bloody 'Arab Spring' been a success?', Strategic Review, The Indonesian Journal of Leadership, Policy and World Affairs, Vol 2 No 3, July-September 2012, pp. 117-126. 16. 'Asymmetry in RI-Netherlands Relationship', The Jakarta Post, 2 April 2012. 17. ‘Syrische dictatuur zal niet vreedzaam democratiseren’, NRC-Handelsblad, 19 January 2012. 18. Bahasa! ‘Mukjizat Bahasa Indonesia dan Bahasa Arab’, Majalah Tempo, 26 December 2011 – 1 January 2012. 19. ‘The (ir)relevance of academic research to foreign policy making’ in: Delicate Debates on Islam, Edited by Jan Michiel Otto and Hannah Mason, Leiden, 2011. 20. ‘The Banda Islands will never be the same’, in: Des Alwi. Dari Banda Naira menjadi Indonesia, Jakarta 2011. 21. ‘De bloedige 'Arabische lente'’, Internationale Spectator, December 2011. 22. ‘Syrian future scenarios’, Syria Comment, 27 November 2011. 23. ‘The miracle of Bahasa Indonesia and Arabic’, The Jakarta Post, 12 October 2011. 24. ‘Bashar al-Asad is not going to sign his own death warrant’, The Montréal Review, October 2011. 25. ‘The Syrian regime is rapidly running out of options’, The Independent, 10 August 2011. 26. ‘Nikolaos van Dam: Tragically, a bloodbath may now be inevitable’, The Independent, Saturday, 11 June 2011. 27. ‘Syria: the Dangerous Trap of Sectarianism’, Syria Comment, 14 April 2011. 28. ‘Indonesië: goede relatie niet vanzelfsprekend’, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, 10 January 2011. 29. ‘Indonesia Adalah Puncak Karier Saya’, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, 28 December 2010. 30. ‘Des Alwi: The uncrowned king of Banda’, The Jakarta Post, 16 November 2010. 31. ‘Arabic loanwords in Indonesian revisited’, Bijdragen tot de Taal- Land- en Volkenkunde (Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania), 166-2/3 (2010), pp. 218-243. 32. ‘Bahasa Arab di Indonesia Kontemporer’, in: Membaca Takdir: Pemikiran dan Jejak STA, Jakarta: Dian Rakyat, 2010, pp. 209-215. 33. ‘Perihal Barat terhadap Islam’, Suara Pembaruan, 7 December 2009. Also in Pikiran Rakyat, 4 December 2009. 34. ‘Islam from the Perspective of Western Views’, The Jakarta Post, 30-31
October 2009. 35. ‘Islam dalam Pandangan Barat’, Republika, 29 October 2009. 36. ‘Islam, Demokrasi dan Tata Kelola Pemerintahan’, Republika, 15 October 2009. 37. ‘Islam, Democracy and Good Governance in Indonesia’, The Jakarta Post, 12 October 2009. 38. ‘Kata serapan bahasa Arab kolokial dalam Bahasa Indonesia’, Republika, 2 July 2009. 39. Bahasa! ‘Kata serapan Arab: Apakah Ejaan Mengikuti Pelafalan?’, Majalah Tempo, 15-21 June 2009. 40. ‘Arabic loanwords in Indonesian revisited’, Conference Paper Workshop ‘Kata serapan, dalam Bahasa Indonesia’, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, 20 May 2009. 41. ‘Ma huwa Islam, wa ma huwa laysa Islaman’ (‘What is and isn’t Islam?’), Common Ground News Service, 28 May- 3 June 2009 (in Arabic, English, French, Indonesian and Urdu). Also in Kulluna Shuraka’ fi alWatan/ALL4SYRIA, 30 May 2009. 42. ‘Arabic loanwords in Indonesian revisited’, The Jakarta Post, 28 May 2009. 43. ‘Understanding Islam: What is Islamic and what not?’, The Jakarta Post, 1 May 2009. 44. ‘Tanggung Jawab Akademisi Islam dan non-Islam’, Republika, 29 April 2009. 45. ‘Orasi Ilmiah: Politik Global dan Peran Islam: Tanggungjawab Akademis Intelektual Muslim’, in: Dies Natalis ke-38 & Wisuda Sarjana ke-13, Institut PTIQ, Jakarta, 29 April 2009, pp. 43-59. 46. Bahasa! ‘Kamus Besar yang Agak Terlalu Sempurna’, Majalah Tempo, 30 March-5 April 2009. 47. 'Reflections on the Occasion of the 400th Anniversary of the Dutch Consulate in Aleppo', Syrian Studies Association Newsletter, Vol. XIII, No. 2, Winter 2008, pp. 5, 16-18. 48. 'Dutch unifying colonialism', The Jakarta Post, 3 December 2007 (in English, translation in Bahasa Indonesia: 'Kolonialisme Penyatu'). 49. 'Rihlah Shakhsiyah ila Halab, Bilad al-Sham wa al-Jumhuriyah al-'Arabiyah al-Suriyah', ALL4SYRIA / Kulluna Shuraka' fi al-Watan, 11 November 2007. 50. ‘A personal journey to Aleppo, Bilad al-Sham and the Syrian Arab Republic (in English)', ALL4SYRIA / Kulluna Shuraka' fi al-Watan, 8 November 2007. 51. ‘In memoriam Frans Steenbrink’, BZ-blad, November 2007. 52. ‘Bahasa Arab di Indonesia Kontemporer’, Kompas, 15 October 2007. 53. 'Arabic language in contemporary Indonesian (1-2)', The Jakarta Post, 5-6 October 2007.
54. ‘Taal & Teken’, De Paraplu, December 2006, p. 10. 55. ‘Dr. N. van Dam’, Artissage, ‘Bronnen van Inspiratie uit het oude Syrië’, Nr. 23/2002, p. 27. 56. 'Tarikh "al-Sira' 'ala al-Sultah fi Suriya..": (2) Ashkuruhu 'ala al-Tarwij!', alSafir, 18 July 1995. 57. 'Tarikh "al-Sira' 'ala al-Sultah fi Suriya..": (1) Atlub al-Qira'ah alMuhayidah', al-Safir, 17 July 1995. 58. 'Radd 'ala al-Mufakkir al-'Arabi al-Suri 'Imad Fawzi Shu'aybi hawl al-Sira' 'ala al-Sultah fi Suriya', al-Diyar, 11 July 1995. 59. 'Kayfa Tunaqishun Kitaban Mamnu'an min al-Tadawul?', al-Safir, 24 May 1995. 60. 'Minorities and Political Elites in Iraq and Syria', in: Talal Asad and Roger Owen (eds.), Sociology of ‘Developing Societies’: The Middle East, London, 1983, pp. 127-144. 61. 'Israeli Sectarian Propaganda during the October, 1973, War', in: Ron D. McLaurin, Military Propaganda: Psychological Warfare and Operations, New York, 1982, pp. 356-365. 62. 'Middle Eastern Political Clichés: "Takriti" and "Sunni rule" in Iraq; "Alawi rule" in Syria. A critical appraisal', Orient, Vol. 21, No. 1, January 1980, pp. 42-57. 63. 'Das Emporkommen der Alawiten als ein Politischer Machtfaktor im Gegenwärtigen Syrien', Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, Supplement IV (1980), pp. 554-556. 64. 'Pluriformiteit in het Midden-Oosten', MOI-publicatie 4, January 1980, pp. 1-30. 65. 'Union in the Fertile Crescent', Middle East International, No. 104, 20 July 1979. 66. 'Isra'il wa al-Indimaj al-Qawmi', Majallat Markaz al-Dirasat al-Filastiniyah (Baghdad), 1979, pp. 100-107. 67. 'Israel and Arab National Integration: Pluralism versus Arabism', Asian Affairs, Vol. 10 (Old Series Vol. 66), Part 2, June 1979, pp. 144-50. 68. 'Sectarian and Regional Factionalism in the Syrian Political Elite', The Middle East Journal, Vol. 32, No. 2, Spring 1978, pp. 201-210. 69. 'Israeli Sectarian Propaganda during the October, 1973, War', The Muslim World, Vol. LXVII, No. 4, October 1977, pp. 295-305. 70. 'Integration Problems of the Federation of Arab Republics', Orient, 1973/3, September 1973, pp. 112-115. 71. 'The Struggle for Power in Syria and the Ba'th Party (1958-1966)', Orient, 1973/1, March 1973, pp. 10-20. 72. 'De Ba'thpartij in Syrië', Spiegel Historiael, January 1972, pp. 26-32.
73. 'De Ba'thpartij in Syrië (1958-1966)', Internationale Spectator, XXV-20, 22 November 1971, pp. 1889-1933. 74. 'De Ba'th ideologie. Deel I: De orthodoxe richting van 'Aflaq', Internationale Spectator, XXV-4, 22 February 1971, pp. 388-408. 75. 'De opkomst van de Arabisch Socialistische Ba'thpartij in Syrië (19401958)', Internationale Spectator, XXIII-20, 22 November 1969, pp. 17851804.
Book Introductions 1. Preface to Peter Steenmeijer, Toples in de toko. Nederlandse leenwoorden in het Indonesisch ... en andersom, Soest, 2009. 2. Muqaddimah li Hussein El-Mudarris wa Olivier Salmon, al-'Ilaqat ma bayna Hulanda wa Suriyah al-'Uthmaniyah, Aleppo, 2008. 3. Introduction to Hussein I. El-Mudarris & Olivier Salmon, Les relations entre les Pays Bas et la Syrie ottomane au XVIIe siècle. Les 400 ans du Consulat des Pays-Bas à Alep (1607-2007), Aleppo, 2007, p.1. 4. Foreword to Perundingan Linggajati – Buku Bergambar untuk Anak-anak / The Linggajati Conference – Picture Book for Children, Jakarta: Department for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, 2006, with a Foreword by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. N. Hassan Wirajuda. 5. Introduction to Duitsland in Beweging, Nijmegen (Centrum voor DuitslandStudies), 2001, pp. 10-13. Also in German as Deutschland im Wandel, pp. 14-17. 6. Introduction to G.J. van Gelder and E. de Moor (ed.), The Middle East & Europe: Encounters & Exchanges, in: Orientations, Amsterdam, 1992, pp. 7-9. 7. Preface to P. de Rooy en C. van der Linde, Op zoek naar stabiliteit in de Oriënt, SDU uitgeverij, 's-Gravenhage/Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1989, pp. ix-x.
Book Reviews 1. Sami Moubayed, The President. Syria's Shukri al-Quwatli 1892-1967, forthcoming. Blurb text. 2. Carolien Roelants, Revolutie of zinsbegoocheling? Wordt het nog wat met de Arabische Lente? Leiden University Press, 2014. Blurb text.
3. Bente Scheller, The Wisdom of Syria's Waiting Game. Foreign Policy under the Assad's, London: C.Hurst & Co., 2013. Blurb text. 4. Review of Raphaël Lefèvre, Ashes of Hama. The Muslim Brotherhood in Syria, London: C. Hurst & Co., 2013. Blurb text. 5. ‘The Syrian Crisis: Can Dialogue Still Prevail Over Violence?’ Review essay on Carsten Wieland, Syria - A Decade of Lost Chances. Repression and Revolution from Damascus Spring to Arab Spring. Cune Press, Seattle, 2012. Al-Jadid, No. 64, pp. 30-31, [2013]. 6. 'What to Read Now: Syria', World Literature Magazine, May 2012. 7. Review of Power and Policy in Syria, Radwan Ziadeh, London: I.B. Tauris, 2011. Blurb text. 8. ‘Nikolaos van Dam's Five Books on Syria, The Browser, 18 May 2011, by Sophie Roell. http://thebrowser.com/interviews/nikolaos-van-dam-on-syria 9. ‘Syrian Ba’thist Memoirs, An Extended Book Review Essay’, Kulluna Shuraka’ fi al-Watan/ALL4SYRIA, 9-11 May 2009. 10. ‘Book Review Essay: Syrian Ba’thist Memoirs’, Syrian Studies Association Newsletter, Vol. 14 No. 2 (2009), pp. 22-25. 11. ‘A tremendous wealth of information’, Sunday Post (The Jakarta Post Sunday Edition), 5 April 2009. Review of Russell Jones (gen.ed.) Grijns and de Vries (eds), Loan-words in Indonesian and Malay (Indonesian edition). 12. Review of Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia Pusat Bahasa, Edisi Keempat, Jakarta, 2008, Sunday Post (The Jakarta Post Sunday Edition), 15 February 2009. 13. Review of Russell Jones (gen.ed.) Grijns and de Vries (eds), Loan-words in Indonesian and Malay, Bijdragen tot de Taal- Land- en Volkenkunde 164, p. 305-308, 2-3 (2008). 14. Review of Peter Behnstedt, Sprachatlas von Syrien I, Kartenband & Beiheft,Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1997, 1037 & 242 pages. Sprachatlas von Syrien II: Volkskundliche Texte, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2000, 661 pages. [Language Atlas of Syria Part I: Maps & Accompanying Volume. Part II: Ethnographic Texts], ALL4SYRIA /Kulluna Shuraka' fi al-Watan, 17 June 2008. A shorter version was published in: Syrian Studies Association Newsletter, XIV: 1 (2008). 15. Review of Eyal Zisser, Commanding Syria: Bashar al-Asad and the first years in power (London: I.B Tauris, 2007), Bibliotheca Orientalis, No.3/4, 2007, pp. 478-481 (also in ALL4SYRIA / Kulluna Shuraka' fi al-Watan, 17 November 2007). 16. Review of Carsten Wieland, Syrien nach dem Irak-Krieg. Bastion gegen Islamisten oder Staat vor dem Kollaps? (Islamkundliche Untersuchungen, 263) (Belin: Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 2004), Bibliotheca Orientalis, No. 1/2,
2007, pp. 229-231. 17. Peluncuran Kamus Belanda-Indonesia (Susi Moeimam & Hein Steinhauer), Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta, 26 September 2005. 18. Review of Ferdinand Smit, The Battle for South Lebanon, The Radicalisation of Lebanon’s Shi’ites 1982-1985: ‘Postume promotie van Ferdinand Smit’, BZ-blad, 28 July 2000, p. 8. 19. Review of Annabelle Böttcher, Syrische Religionspolitik unter Asad. (Freiburger Beiträge zur Entwicklung und Politik, 25). Arnold Bergstraesser Institut, Freiburg i. Br., 1998, in: Bibliotheca Orientalis, No. 3/4, MayAugust 1999, pp. 505-507. 20. Review of Eberhard Kienle, Ba'th v Ba'th: The conflict between Syria and Iraq 1968-1989, London (I.B. Tauris), 1990, in: Bibliotheca Orientalis, LII, No. 1/2, January-March 1995, pp. 218-222. 21. Review of Gregor Voss, ‘'Alawiya oder Nusairiya?’ - Schiitische Machtelite und sunnitische Opposition in der Syrischen Arabischen Republik, Disseration, Hamburg, 1987, in: Die Welt des Islams, XXIX (1989), pp. 207209. 22. Review of David Roberts, The Ba'th and the Creation of Modern Syria, New York, 1987, in: The Middle East Journal, Vol. 42, No. 1, 1988, pp. 113-114. 23. Review of Philip S. Khoury, Urban Notables and Arab Nationalism. The Politics of Damascus 1860-1920, Cambridge (Cambridge University Press), 1983, in: Bibliotheca Orientalis, XLV, No. 5/6, September-November 1988, pp. 721-722. 24. Review of Dr. Umar F. Abd-Allah, The Islamic Struggle in Syria, Berkely, 1983, in: Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Vol. 18, No. 1, 1984, pp. 57-59. 25. Review of Fuad I. Khuri (ed.), Leadership and Development in Arab Society, Beirut (American University of Beirut), 1981, in The Middle East Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1, Winter 1983, pp. 109-110. 26. Review of Robert Olson, The Ba'th and Syria: From the French Mandate to the Era of Hafiz al-Asad, Princeton, N.J., 1982, in: The Middle East Journal, Vol. 37, No. 4, 1983, p. 691. 27. Review of Hanna Batatu, The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq. A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba'thists, and Free Officers, Princeton, N.J., 1978, in: Bibliotheca Orientalis, XXXVIII, No. 3/4, May-July 1981, pp. 478-480. 28. Review of Johannes Reissner, Ideologie und Politik der Muslimbrüder Syriens. Von den Wahlen 1947 bis zum Verbot unter Adib ash-Shishakli 1952, Freiburg, Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 1980, in: Bibliotheca Orientalis, XXXVIII, No. 3/4, May July 1981, pp. 475-478.
29. 'Bespreking van een boekbespreking', Internationale Spectator, XXXIV-5, May 1980, pp. 298-300. 30. Review of Tareq Y. Ismael, The Arab Left, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1976, in: Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, 1978/2, pp. 341-342. 31. Review of Harry van Mierlo en Krikor Guvlekjian, De Palestijnen, Bussum (De Haan), 1972, in: Internationale Spectator, XXVII-1, 8 January 1973, pp. 31-32. 32. Review of L.C. Biegel, Minderheden in het Midden-Oosten, hun betekenis als politieke factor in de Arabische wereld, in: Internationale Spectator, XXVI-12, pp. 1178-1183. 33. Review of L.C. Biegel, Minderheden in het Midden-Oosten, hun betekenis als politieke factor in de Arabische wereld, in: Acta Politica, 1973, pp. 505507. 34. Review of Henry Dodwell, The Founder of modern Egypt. A study of Muhammad 'Ali, Cambridge University Press, 1933, reprinted 1967, Tijdschrift voor Moderne Geschiedenis, 1972. 35. Review of Enver M. Koury, The Patterns of Mass Movements in Arab Revolutionary-Progressive States, The Hague (Mouton), 1970, in: Vrij Nederland, 15 January 1972, p. 19.
Interviews
1. 'Es wird nicht ausreichen den IS zu besiegen', Berliner Zeitung, 14 October 2014, by Martina Doering. 2. 'Syria, US fight a common, enemy, but not as one', Kuwait Times, 21 August 2014, by Sammy Ketz, AFP. 3. 'Koos van Dam ziet ISIS voorlopig niet verdwijnen', De Telegraaf, 16 August 2014, by Hans Kuytert. 4. Radio Interview with Nikolaos van Dam, former Ambassador to Iraq, on ISIS in Iraq and Syria, VPRO Bureau Buitenland, 13 August 2014 (in Dutch), by Rik Delhaas. http://m.radio1.nl/mobielradio1/gemist/fragment/154276' 5. Oud-ambassadeur Nikolaos (Koos) van Dam: Als je de taal van een land niet kent, ben je halfblind', Den Haag Centraal, 31 January 2014, by Vera de Jonckheere.
6. Interview on Syria, BNR Radio, 30 January 2013, by Bernard Hammelburg. http://www.bnr.nl/radio/bnr-de-wereld/136920-1401/uitzending-30-januarioekrane-en-syrische-onderhandelingen 7. 'Toekomst Syrië lijkt er een mét Assad', Radio 1 (VPRO), 18 December 2013. http://www.radio1.nl/item/171118Arme%2520Alawieten%2520in%2520Syri%25C3%25AB.html 8. 'Koos van Dam: Rusland is het enige land dat gewoon met Syrië communiceert', De Volkskant, 5 September 2013, by Irene de Zwaan. 9. 'Een militaire aanval op Syrië lost niets op', Max Magazine, 7-13 September 2013. 1. 'Westen ontbeert pragmatisme in Syrië', De Tijd, 3 September 2013, by Maarten Bakker. 2. 'Praten met Assad en Hamas, Israël de duimschroeven aandraaien: oudambassadeur en arabist Koos van Dam spreekt zich uit', Vrij Nederland, 24 August 2013, pp. 36-41, by Harm Ede Botje. 3. 'What’s the Impact of the EU Lifting its Arms Embargo?', Syria Deeply, 13 June 2013, by Alison Tahmizian Meuse. 4. 'Where Would Bashar al-Assad Go If He Were Overthrown?' Syria Deeply, 15 March 2013, by Alison Tahmizian Meuse. 5. 'Voices of Syria, two years after the outbreak of the uprising in Syria'. The Daily Star, 14 March 2013. 6. 'Assad "will fight to the end" despite setbacks', AFP, 11 March 2013. 7. 'Kurds Should Not Fear Renewed Persecution in Syria, Expert Says', Rudaw, 26 December 2012, by Adib Abdulmajid. 8. 'Syrian President Bashar Assad: Will he fight or flee?' The Toronto Star, 8 December 2012, by Hamida Ghafour. 9. 'Nederland en de EU hebben veel te vroeg de weg naar een politieke oplossing van de crisis in Syrië afgesloten', Het Financieele Dagblad, 13 October 2012, by Roger Cohen. Picture by Corbino. 10. 'Khabir bi al-Sha'n al-Suri la yastab'id wuqu' Inqilab 'Askari 'ala Nizam alAsad', al-Ghad, 29 August 2012, by Mohammad Dawodieh. 11. Intense violence in Syria. Colm Ó Mongáin speaks with Nikolaos van Dam, Michael Jansen & Soli Ozel. RTÉ Radio 1, 17 June 2012. 12. Interview on Syria, IKON, De Andere Wereld, 15 July 2012, by Jurgen Maas. 13. Interview on Syria, BNR Radio, 12 July 2012, by Bernard Hammelburg. http://www.bnr.nl/?service=player&type=column&audioId=1597765 14. 'Ankara is een Europese post, in: De Nederlands-Turkse betrekkingen. Portretten van een 400-jarige geschiedenis, Hilversum 2012, pp. 89-93, by Jurgen Maas & Annemarike Stremmelaar.
15. 'Membuka Pintu Dialog, Meredam Konflik', Media Indonesia, 10 July 2012, by Jerome E Wirawan. 16. 'A report on the ongoing troubles in Syria - can world powers stop the killing?'. Colm Ó Mongáin speaks with Robert Fisk, Syria expert Nikolaos van Dam and Russian specialist Anatol Lieven. RTÉ Radio 1, 17 June 2012. 17. 'Turkey’s foreign policy. Growing less mild', The Economist, 14 April 2012, by Amberin Zaman. 18. 'Welke boeken moet je lezen om Syrië te begrijpen?', De Standaard, 23 March 2012, by Jorn De Cock. 19. 'What next for Syria?', GQ.com magazine, 28 February 2012, by Kevin Perry. 20. 'Regime vol bullebakken', De Volkskrant, 18 February 2012, by Peter Giesen. 21. 'Alleen straffen uitdelen helpt niet. Topexpert Nikolaos van Dam pleit voor dialoog met regime in Syrie?', De Tijd, 11 February 2012, by Erik Ziarczyk. 22. ‘Marathoninterview Nikolaos van Dam’, VPRO Radio1, 29 December 2011, 20.00-23.00, by Djoeke Veeninga. 23. ‘After months of unrest, still no light at the end of Syria’s tunnel’, The Daily Star, 29 December 2011, by Lauren Williams. 24. ‘Kiezen tussen oorlog of oorlog’, DEPERS.NL, 13 December 2011, by Arnold Karskens. 25. ‘Assad’s Departure No Guarantee of Change for Syria Say Experts’, The Epoch Times, 21 November 2011, by Aron Lamm. 26. ‘Van Dam dan demokrasi (2)’, Republika, 17 November 2011, by Azyumardi Azra. 27. ‘Van Dam dan demokrasi (1)’, Republika, 10 November 2011, by Azyumardi Azra. 28. ‘Gepensioneerd diplomaat’, ZemZem, 2-2011, by Jurgen Maas. 29. ‘Je kunt het verleden niet vergeten’, De Volkskrant, 17 September 2011, by Lidy Nicolasen. 30. ‘Arab League's Syria deal too late’, The World Today, ABC News Australia, 12 September 2011, by Eleanor Hall. 31. ‘Democratie en islam kan wèl’. Het Interview: De Telegraaf, 20 August 2011, by Jos van Noord. 32. ‘Interview met oud-ambassadeur Koos van Dam over de situatie in Syrie’, BNR radio, 5 August 2011. 33. ‘Het regime in Syrie houdt geen rekening met gevoeligheden’, Radio 1 (NOS), 1 August 2011. 34. ‘Oud-ambassadeur Koos van Dam over de kansen voor Libie’, BNR Nieuwsradio, 13 July 2011.
35. ‘Clinton haalt uit naar Bashar Al-Assad’, Radio 1 Belgie, 12 July 2011. 36. ‘Oud-ambassadeur Koos van Dam over Syrie’, Radio 1 (KRO), 11 July 2011. 37. ‘Weinig Syriers zitten te wachten op Amerikanen’, Radio 1 (NOS), 9 July 2011. 38. ‘Syria faces rough road to democracy says Syria-watcher and Dutch diplomat Nikolaos van Dam’, www.guardian.co.uk, 5 July 2011, by Matthew Weaver. http://audioboo.fm/boos/404741-syria-faces-rough-road-to-democracy-sayssyria-watcher-and-dutch-diplomat-nikolaos-van-dam 39. ‘Hervormingen leiden tot ondergang Assad’, De Tijd, 21 June 2011, by Erik Ziarczyk. 40. ‘Ich glaube nicht an einen Bürgerkrieg’, Deutsche Welle, 21 June 2011, by Lina Hoffmann. http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15176391,00.html 41. ‘Syria, the United Nations and Jisr al-Shughur’, BBC Worldservice, Newshour, Saturday, 11 June 2011, 20:32-20:35.22. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00h35mm 42. ‘Bashar al-Assad kan zelf geen concessies doen. Dan is hij zo weg’, NRCHandelsblad, 7 June 2011, by Carolien Roelants. 43. ‘Nikolaos van Dam over de Arabische opstand’, VPRO Radio, 22 May 2011, by Rik Delhaas. http://www.radio1.nl/contents/30866-nikolaos-van-damover-de-arabische-opstand 44. ‘Europa moet praten met Assad’, Vrij Nederland, 21 May 2011, by Harm Ede Botje. 45. ‘Commentaar op de Midden-Oosten-speech van president Obama’, Met het oog op morgen, 20 May 2011, 23:25 – 22:40. http://www.radio1.nl/mediaplayer/128908 46. ‘Koos van Dam over de situatie in Syrie’, Radio NOS.NL, 13 May 2011, http://nos.nl/audio/240128-koos-van-dam-over-situatie-syrie.html 47. ‘Ik geloof meer in een dialoog met Syrië dan in sancties’, Avondspits van Omroep WNL, 26 April 2011, by Petra Grijzen. 48. ‘Arabist Van Dam schreef een boek over Syrië’, Radio NOS.NL, 24 March 2011. 49. ‘Oorlog Libie slecht voor gevangenen’, NRC-Handelsblad, 7 March 2011, by Elske Schouten. 50. ‘Stille diplomatie essentieel bij gijzelingszaak’, BN De Stem, 5 March 2011, by Koos van Wees. 51. ‘Ambassadeur moet op elk niveau contact met de Libiërs hebben’, NOS.NL, 3 maart 2011. 52. ‘Oud-ambassadeur: Kadhafi heeft voeling verloren’, NOS.NL-1, 23 February 2011. http://nos.nl/audio/220910-oudambassadeur-kadhafi-heeft-voeling-
verloren.html 53. ‘Eervolle aftocht’, VARAGIDS, 8 February 2011, Column by Twan Huys. 54. ‘Veiligheid Egypte in geding door Westerse leiders’, Avondspits van Omroep WNL, 4 February 2011, by Petra Grijzen. 55. ‘Syria and Assad’, BBC Worldservice: Witness, 29 December 2010, by Louise Hidalgo. 56. ‘Menselijk schild van Saddam Hoessein’, DE PERS.NL, 1 December 2010, by Arnold Karskens. 57. ‘Breken met het verleden’, Internationale Samenwerking, 15 October 2010, by Hilde Janssen. 58. ‘Dat alle moslims hetzelfde zijn is onzin’, De Volkskrant, 11 August 2010, by Michel Maas. 59. ‘Juist de kolonisator moet niet van alles komen vertellen’, NRCHandelsblad, 7 & 8 August 2010, by Elske Schouten (text) & Ahmad 'deNy' Salman (picture). 60. ‘Indonesia was the peak of my career: Dutch envoy’, The Jakarta Post, 29 July 2010, by Lulian Budianto and Abdul Khalik with contribution of Sabam Siagian. 61. ‘Dubes Belanda Beri Kuliah Islam’, Kompas, 29 July 2010. 62. 'Cairo – ‘Egypte, Renovatie en uitbreiding kanselarij 1996-'98’, in: Ver Bouwen, (2009), pp.58-63, by Sander Grip. 63. ‘Nikolaos van Dam Terkesan Berburu Cenderawasih’, Jawa Pos,10 July 2010. 64. ‘Indonesiërs zijn meer bezig met de toekomst’, Elsevier, special edition: Ons Indië, pp. 26-27, by Jan Lepeltak, December 2009. 65. ‘In mijn boeken zitten gaten van granaatscherven’, UvA Alumni Magazine SPUI, No. 30 2009/2, p. 14-16, September 2009. 66. ‘How Holland excels in global education’, Campus Asia, NovemberDecember 2008. 67. 'RI, Netherlands enjoy a big boom in ties', The Jakarta Post, 19 November 2008. 68. 'Umat Islam di Belanda bisa hidup damai', Azzikra, May-June 2008. 69. 'Duta Besar Belanda, Nikolaos van Dam, Giat Belajar Bahasa Indonesia', Sinar Harapan, 30 April 2008. 70. 'Sejak Awal Wilders sudah di luar konteks', Koran Tempo, 13 April 2008. 71. 'Pakar Bahasa dan Budaya Arab Sejak Kecil Tertarik dengan Gamelan', Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 12 March 2008. (To listen to part of the interview, please download from ' Download Omroep.nl'). 72. 'Kebebasan berekspresi harus hormati agama lain', Republika, 4 April 2008. 73. 'Resolusi Tahun Baru', Kompas, 17 January 2008, by MUK & Mulyawan
Karim. 74. 'Makna Halalbihalal', Kompas, 9 November 2007, by MUK & Mulyawan Karim. 75. 'Hiwar Muthir ma' al-Safir Nikolaos van Dam', ALL4SYRIA / Kulluna Shuraka' fi al-Watan , 6 November 2007, by Raymond Gergi (also in Akhbar al-Sharq / Levant News, 11 November 2007). 76. 'Pesan Duta Besar Belanda Dalam Rangka Hari Ratu 2007', Media Indonesia, 30 April 2007. 77. ' Peringatan Hari Ratu Belanda dirayakan di sembilan kota di Indonesia', Sinar Harapan, 30 April 2007, by Natalia Santi. 78. ' Prioritaskan Air Bersih dan Penanggulangan Banjir', Sinar Harapan, 30 April 2007, by Renne Kawilarang. 79. ‘Nikolaos van Dam memilih puskesmas daripada makam Residen’, Kompas, 2 April 2007, by Ichwan Susanto. 80. 'Netherlands-Indonesia to sign CPA this year: Dutch envoy', The Jakarta Post, 10 March 2007, by Veeramalla Anjaiah. 81. 'Menghapus Bayang-bayang Masa Lalu', Kompas, 2 March 2007, by Luki Aulia & Iwan Santosa. 82. 'Nederlandse ambassadeur beveelt het aan om de Molukken te bezoeken', Marinjo, June-July 2006, by Jim Pentury. 83. 'Message from the Ambassador of the Netherlands on the ocassion of Queen's Day', The Jakarta Post, 30 April 2006. 84. 'Hubungan RI-Belanda: Bersama-sama menatap ke depan', Sinar Harapan, 20 April 2006, by Renne Kawilarang. 85. 'New Dutch envoy wants to boost ties with RI’, The Jakarta Post, 30 September 2005, by Veeramalla Ananjaia. 86. ‘Wij zijn wel érg zelfverzekerd’, Vrij Nederland, 30 July 2005, by Annemieke Hendriks, pictures by Bert Nienhuis. 87. ‘Een kleine buur met een goede naam en frisse ideeën. Ambassadeur Van Dam over Duitse perceptie van Nederland’, NRC-Handelsblad, 2 March 2004, by Michel Kerres. 88. Sluiten en evacueren’, in: Arnold Karskens, Reizen langs de frontlijn. Een overlevingshandboek voor journalisten, hulpverleners en avonturiers, Amsterdam (Meulenhof), 2002, pp. 186-187. 89. ‘Misrekeningen van een bezetter. De radicalisering van de Libanese sji’ieten’, by StefanieVerlage & Jurgen Maas, Soera, No. 2, 2000, pp. 20-21. (Review of Ferdinand Smit, The Battle for South Lebanon, The Radicalisation of Lebanon’s Shi’ites 1982-1985). 90. ‘Het interview: Koos van Dam. Normaliseren’, Het Parool, PS van de week, 24 November 2001, by Hans Verbeek. Idem (‘Duitsland is een normaal
land’) in Dagblad de Limburger, 24 November 2001. 91. ‘Ook Duitsers zijn nu onze bondgenoten’, NRC-Handelsblad, 18 May 2001, by Michèle de Waard. 92. ‘Nederlandse ambassadeur in Berlijn strijdt tegen vooroordelen. Behandel Duitsland als een normaal land’, De Telegraaf, 28 April 2001, by Theo Jongedijk. 93. ‘Boodschapper in Berlijn: In het voetspoor van Harer Majesteits Ambassadeur Koos van Dam, topdiplomaat van de nieuwe stempel’, by Willem Wansink, pictures by Marco Hillen, Elsevier, 2 December 2000, pp. 68-71. 94. ‘Ambassadeur Nikolaos van Dam: “Schröder is welkom bij de herdenking op de Dam”’, by Leonard Ornstein, pictures by Bert Nienhuis, Vrij Nederland, 29 July 2000, pp. 12-13. 95. ‘Syrië onder Bashar al-Asad: hoe lang?’ Interview met Nikolaos van Dam, Jurgen Maas & Stefanie Verlage, Soera, No. 2, 2000, p. 31. 96. ‘Hal al-Khilafah Mahsumah li-Bashar al-Asad fi Suriyah?’, al-Mushahid alSiyasi, 12-18 December 1999, pp. 10-12. 97. ‘Kitabuhu al-Jadid “al-Salam alladhi lam ya’ti” athara Dijjah kubra fi alDawa’ir al-Hulandiyah’, al-Hayat, 27 September 1998, by Isma’il Zayir. 98. ‘Enkele vragen aan Nikolaos van Dam’, Nieuw Israëlitisch Weekblad, 14 August 1998, by Hilde Pach. 99. ‘De bereidheid tot enige druk op Israël is zeer gering’, Soera, March 1998, by Jurgen Vermaas. 100. ‘Israël en het Songfestival’, Knack, 25 March 1998, by Sus van Elzen. 101. ‘Bijten in het zand. Nederlandse diplomaat en journalist vinden Arabische woede over dubbele standaard in het Midden-Oosten volkomen terecht’, Elsevier, 14 March 1998, by Rick Kuethe. 102. ‘Geen vrede geen feest’, De Morgen, 14 March 1998, by Frank Schlömer. 103. ‘De Arabische wereld en de vrede die niet kwam’, Rotterdams Dagblad, 12 March 1998, by Ad Bloemendaal. 104. ‘Van Israël wil men geen kwaad horen’, Algemeen Dagblad, 7 March 1998, by Marc Guillet. 105. ‘Diplomaat Van Dam warmde zich aan inheemse gastvrijheid. In den Arabische vreemde’, Reformatorisch Dagblad, 7 March 1998, by B. Belder. 106. ‘Koos van Dam heeft weinig diplomatieke visie op Israël’, Het Parool, 7 March 1998, by René ter Steege. 107. ‘Ambassadeur analyseert conflict Israël-Arabieren, De Telegraaf, 7 March 1998, by Hans Kuitert. 108. ‘Irak houdt zich doorgaans aan zijn afspraken’, Trouw, 6 March 1998,
by Eildert Mulder. 109. ‘Palestijnse staat beste garantie voor veiligheid Israël’, De Volkskrant, 6 March 1998, by Ewoud Nysingh. 110. 'Khilafat Bashar Sa'bah wa Khaddam Qad Yatara''as Intiqaliyan', alMushahid al-Siyasi, 15-21 February 1998, pp. 13-14. 111. ‘Syriërs zijn te 'sophisticated' om zich achter de islamistische ideologie te scharen’, Interview met Nikolaos van Dam, by Jurgen Maas & Stefanie Verlage, Soera, September 1996, pp. 4-7. 112. ‘Als Arabist leef je echt in zo’n maatschappij’, Het Parool, 17 August 1996, by Albert de Lange. 113. ‘Diblumasi fi Muhimmah’, al-Ahram, 8 August 1996, by Inas Nur. 114. ‘Ik zag dat geheimzinnige schrift en was verkocht’, De Telegraaf, 29 June 1996, by Hans Kuitert. 115. ‘Misr tamlik Imkanat Ha’ilah lil-Taqaddum. Lughati al-‘Arabiyah zadat Mut’ati fi Misr’, Watani, 23 June 1996, by Fayiz Farah. 116. ‘Arabist in hart en nieren’, Elsevier, 16 June 1996, by Caroline de Gruyter. 117. ‘A gentleman and a scholar’, Middle East Times, 2-8 June 1996, by Diana Digges. 118. ‘Schijn en werkelijkheid in Syrië. Boek van Nederlandse diplomaat is bestseller in Arabische wereld’, De Volkskrant, 11 May 1996, by Jan Keulen. 119. ‘Assad’s extreme cautious attitude proves correct’, The Egyptian Gazette, 23 May 1995, by Mohssen Al-Arishi. 120. ‘Al-Ilaqat al-Hulandiyah al-Misriyah akthar min Mumtazah’, alAkhbar, 30 April 1995, by Mahmud Mutawalli and Ahmad Shawqi. 121. 'Suriyah Tawadd al-Insihab min Lubnan wa al-Ta'ifiyah ghayr Mawjudah Rasmiyan', al-Hayat, 12 March 1995, by Aminah Khayri. 122. 'al-'Arab Iktashafu anna al-Salam Silah Aqwa min al-Harb', al-Qabas, 24 March 1994. 123. ‘Ik beschik over een hoge irritatiegrens: Koos van Dam Irak 19881990’ in: Twan Huys, In opdracht van Hare Majesteit. Diplomaat in Crisistijd, Weert (M&P Uitgeverij bv), 1994, pp. 97-113. 124. 'Idha Ustuthniyat Dimashq min al-Salam Istahal al-Salam', al-Hayat, 13 November 1993. 125. ‘Ex-Ambassadeur Van Dam waarschuwt voor gevolgen boycot Irak’, De Telegraaf, 20 June 1991, by Jos van Noord. 126. ‘Ambassadeur van Dam heeft Saddams Irak verruild voor Egypte’, De Telegraaf, 19 June 1991, by Jos van Noord. 127. ‘Saddam is buitengewoon intelligent’, NRC-Handelsblad, 24 January
1991, by Juurd Eijsvoogel & Hans Moll. 128. ‘Onze man in Bagdad: Onderkoeld pragmaticus’, NRC-Handelsblad, 10 December 1990, by Alfred van Cleef & F.G. de Ruiter. 129. ‘Neerlands hoop in bange dagen: Nikolaos van Dam, ambassadeur te Bagdad’, Elsevier, 10 November 1990, by Rick Kuethe. 130. ‘In Bagdad minder voedsel te krijgen’, NRC-Handelsblad, 22 August 1990, by Rob Meines. 131. ‘Dr. N. van Dam (43) jongste ambassadeur’, Haagsche Courant, 1 June 1988. 132. ‘Diplomaten lijden onder ontberingen’, Het Parool, 31 August 1982, by Bert Bommels and Paul Grijpma.
Selected Television Interviews 1. Interview with NRC correspondent Hubert Smeets and former ambassador Koos van Dam on the role of UN mediators in dangerous conflicts. Nieuwsuur, 5 March 2014, by Twan Huys. 2. 'Vredesmacht onder vuur', Andere Tijden, 22 December 2013. 3. 'Attacking Syria "within a few days"'. Discussion with Maarten Zeegers and Nikolaos van Dam, Nieuwsuur, 27 August 2013. 4. 'The Crisis in Syria', interviews with Co Kolijn and Nikolaos van Dam, by Mariëlle Tweebeeke, Nieuwsuur, 24 August 2013. 5. 'Syria: Chemical warfare?' Discussion of Jane Dutton with Dina Esfandiary, Firas Abi Ali and Nikolaos van Dam, Aljazeera, 22 August 2013. 6. Debate on selling products from the Jewish settlements in the Arab occupied territories (1967) in the Netherlands and labelling their origin, with Ester Voet (CIDI) and Nikolaos van Dam, Knevel & Van den Brink, 22 July 2013. 7. 'A decent brute' (Een keurige bruut). Interviews on Bashar al-Asad (with Désirée Bonis, Koos van Dam, Malik al-Abdeh and Halla Diyab), Brandpunt, KRO, 13 January 2013, by Aart Zeeman. 8. Interview on the Islamic opposition in Syria, Nieuwsuur, 25 July 2012, by Joost Karhof. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1276278 9. The situation in Syria, BBC World Service, The Hub, 19 July 2012. 10. The situation in Syria, BBC World Service, The Hub, 13 July 2012, by Lyce Doucet. 11. 'Vertrouwelingen Assad gedood'. Interview on the situation in Syria. Nieuwsuur, 18 July 2012, by Twan Huys. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1274485
12. Inside Syria, 'Abandoning the sinking ship?' Interviews with former General Akil Hashem, SNC member Yasser Tabbara, and Middle East scholar and former Dutch ambassador Nikolaos van Dam. Aljazeera English, 7 July 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidesyria/2012/07/2012788544899 8277.html 13. 'Praten met de moordenaar', Brandpunt, KRO, 3 June 2012, by David Behrens and Jelle Broekroelofs. http://brandpunt.kro.nl/seizoenen/seizoen_2012/afleveringen/03-062012/fragmenten/syrie_-_praten_met_de_moordenaar 14. 'Syria on the Brink', Discussions with Nikolaos van Dam, Robert Fisk and Anas Al Abdah, by Marwan Bishara, Empire, Aljazeera English, 22-29 March 2012. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/empire/2012/03/2012322128383788 80.html 15. 'One Year Syrian Revolution', Discussions with Robert Fisk, Nikolaos van Dam, Haytham al-Malih, Anas Abdah, and others, with Aljazeera Arabic, 15 March, 9-11 PM, presented Ali al-Dafiri and Ghada Aoways, PART ONE (minutes 2-4, 17-19, 31-35). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TYv0IU6ZAo 16. 'One Year Syrian Revolution', Discussions with Robert Fisk, Nikolaos van Dam, Haytham al-Malih, Anas Abdah, and others, with Aljazeera Arabic, 15 March, 9-11 PM, presented Ali al-Dafiri and Ghada Aoways, PART TWO (minutes 17-19). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXZWk8n3hM&feature=watch_response 17. 'Discussion on military intervention in Syria', 7 March 2012, by Pauw & Witteman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a-z-aD2rME 18. 'Interview on the worsening situation in Syria', Nieuwsuur, 10 February 2012 (minutes 19-35), by Mariëlle Tweebeeke. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1239452 19. 'Safir Hulanda al-Sabiq: La budda min al-Hiwar ma' al-Nizam', Video interview with the Arabic Section of Radio Netherlands Worldservice, 8 February 2012, by Abir Sarras. http://www.rnw.nl/arabic/video/612069 20. 'Interview on the situation in Syria and the Arab Spring', Buitenhof, 29 February 2012 (minutes 34-53), by Clairie Polak. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1237110http://www.uitzending gemist.nl/afleveringen/1237110 21. ‘Rapportage over Rawagede’ in: Altijd Wat, VPRO, 25 October 2011, by Piet de Blaauw. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1114392
22. ‘De komst van Khaddaffi. Toen de dictator nog een held was’. Andere Tijden, 22 October 2011. http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/anderetijden/afleveringen/2011-2012/Libie.html 23. ‘Wat drijft Bashar al-Asad?’, EenVandaag, 13 August 2011. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1108831 24. The situation in Syria and the publication of the 4th edition of The Struggle for Power in Syria, Nieuwsuur, 18 May 2011, by Twan Huys. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1102259 25. The situation in Libya, Nieuwsuur, 5 March 2011, by Twan Huys. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1072369 26. The situation in Libya, EénVandaag, 4 March 2011. http://www.uitzendinggemist.nl/afleveringen/1071624 27.
Ambassador’s Press Club, TVRI, 27 March 2010.
28.
Jendela Dunia ‘Belanda’, TVRI, 13 November 2009.
29. Warna Dunia: Belanda (Discovering the hidden treasures of Sulawesi Tenggara), TVRI, July 2009. 30. 'Interview with Peter Gontha', QTV & Swara, 16 October 2007. http://www.gontha.com/impact/clips_detail.php?cid=130
Selected Speeches & Lectures 1. Syrië, Irak en de aanpak van ISIS, Atlantic Commission, The Hague, 8 December 2014. 2. Macht en Onmacht in het Midden-Oosten: Syrië. Lecture at the University of Amsterdam, 26 November 2014. 3. Islam and Democracy in Indonesia, Senate Building, The Hague, 25 June 2014. 4. Can the European Union still contribute to helping solve the Syrian crisis? Dinner speech, The Hague, 17 June 2014 5. Lecture for Indonesian diplomats on bilateral diplomacy, Clingendael, 27 June 2013. 6. What should the European Union do to save the two-state-solution? Seminar IKV/Pax Christi, The Hague, 17 June 2013.
7. Lecture for Arab diplomats on bilateral diplomacy, Clingendael, 4 March 2013. 8. Speech on the occasion of the 112nd Stiftungsfest of the Ostasiatische Verein Bremen e.V., 22 February 2013. 9. 'Democracy as an obstacle to peace and dictatorship as an obstacle to political reform. The Arab-Israeli conflict and Syria as examples'. Lecture at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Aussenpolitik, Berlin, 20 September 2012. 10. 'Book presentation on Carsten Wieland, Syria - A Decade of Lost Chances. Repression and Revolution from Damascus Spring to Arab Spring.' Berlin, Auswärtiges Amt (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), 19 September 2012. 11. ‘Syrie: de illusie om dictatuur vreedzaam te veranderen in democratie’, Derde Van Bylandtlezing voor het Nederlands Genootschap voor Internationale Zaken, Den Haag, 19 January 2012. 12. ‘Power and Change in the Middle East’, lecture at the University of Amsterdam, 9 November 2011. 13. 'Islam and democracy', Keynote speech given at the International symposium on 'Islam and democracy', The Hague, 3 November 2011. 14. 'The Bloody "Arab Spring"'. Speech delivered at the Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi Conference on 'The Arab Spring and Social Democracy', Istanbul, 28 April 2012. 15. ‘Antwoordspeech ter gelegenheid van het afscheidsdiner gegeven door de minister van Buitenlandse Zaken dr. Uri Rosenthal voor vertrekkende ambassadeurs op 19 januari 2011 te Den Haag.’ 16. ‘What to do and what not to do to be a succesful diplomat’, Lecture for senior Indonesian diplomats, Clingendael, 4 October 2010. 17. ‘The (ir)relevance of academic research to foreign policy making’, Speech on the occasion of the Conference ‘Studying Islam in the Public Sphere: a Critical Reflection on Knowledge Production’, Leiden, 3 November 2009. 18. ‘Islam from the Perspective of Western Views’, Idul Fitri / Halal-bi-Halal Lecture at Bimasena, Jakarta, 8 October 2009. 19. ‘Islam, Demokrasi dan Tata Kelola Pemerintahan di Indonesia’. Pidato Pada Konferensi International ke-2 Program Pelatihan Pemimpin Muda Indonesia, Semarang, 6 October 2009. 20. ‘Islam, Democracy and Good Governance in Indonesia’, Semarang, 6 October 2009, English translation.
21. Welcome speech on the occasion of the publication of the Indonesian edition of Hella Haasse’s Oeroeg, Jakarta, 5 October 2009. 22. Orasi Ilmiah: ‘Politik Global dan Peran Islam: Tanggungjawab Akademis Intelektual Muslim’, Wisuda Sarjana Institut Perguruan Tinggi Ilmu AlQur’an Jakarta, Jakarta Convention Center, 29 April 2009. 23. ‘The Global Political Trend and the Role of Islam: The Academic Responsibility of Muslim Scholars’. Lecture on the occasion of the graduation ceremony of The Institute for Qur’anic Studies Jakarta, 29 April 2009 (English translation). 24. ‘Islam dan Demokrasi’, Korps Alumni Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam (KAHMI), Jakarta, 28 November 2008. 25. ‘Het schuren van de vrijheid van meningsuiting met religie als identiteit’, Forum, Utrecht, 5 September 2008. 26. Pidato Duta Besar Belanda Dr. Nikolaos van Dam, Dialog dengan Organisasi dan Partai Politik Islam di Muhammadiyah tentang film Fitna, Jakarta,7 April 2008. 27. Speech of the Ambassador of the Netherlands, Dr. Nikolaos van Dam, on the occasion of a dialogue with Islamic Parties and Organizations at the Muhammadiyah Head Quarters on the film Fitna, Jakarta, 7 April 2008. 28. Speech donor meeting Papua, 16 February 2008, Jayapura (in Indonesian, English translation). 29. Keynote speech on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Dutch Consulate in Aleppo, 28 October 2007 (in Arabic). 30. Keynote speech on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the Dutch Consulate in Aleppo, 28 October 2007 (English translation). 31. ‘Muslims in the Netherlands and Europe’, Lecture for Muhammadiyah, Jakarta, 23 June 2006. 32. ‘Het Beeld van Nederland in het Buitenland’, Nederlandse Zakenlunch, Jakarta, 11 October 2005. 33. ‘A Soul for Europe’, Berlin, 26 November 2004. 34. Eröffnung der Niederländischen Botschaft, Berlin, 2 March 2004. 35. Volkstrauertag, Potsdam, 17 November 2001. 36. Rotary Treffen, Enschede, 31 March 2001.
Personal websites: www.nikolaosvandam.com https://independent.academia.edu/NikolaosVanDam * Last updated 15 January 2015
