From lectures in The Hague to negotiations in Brussels
Every week, diplomat Nana Salim represents Dutch interests in Brussels in negotiations on the EU’s Middle East policy. The discussions can become quite heated. ‘The Netherlands is particularly active on Iran’, the Security Studies alumnus explains.
For Salim, the road to Brussels began in 2016 in The Hague, the city where she grew up. After a year studying International Relations, she transferred to the Security Studies programme that had been launched at Campus The Hague in 2017. Working with case studies really appealed to her.
‘I still remember a case study on Syria. That was in 2017, at the height of Islamic State, and it was in the news every day. We were still taught the theories, but in a way that meant you could put them into practice straight away.’
Combination of two cities
Although she studied in The Hague, she lived in a student house in Leiden and threw herself into student life there. She joined the Augustinus student association, but it only lasted for a year: fun but not really her thing. The combination of Dutch friends in Leiden and the international community in The Hague made for a rich social life. ‘As I was in the first cohort of Security Studies students, we set up a study association and organised all sorts of activities to introduce everyone to The Hague.’
She doesn’t have quite such fond memories of the Master’s in Crisis and Security Management, but that was mainly because of the Covid pandemic. ‘Doing nearly everything from home and sitting in calls with large groups of people.’
After completing a Master’s in Middle Eastern Studies in Amsterdam, Salim secured a place on the government trainee programme at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A year later she applied for the position of Middle East representative at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union.
Sanctions against Iran
‘More than 120 people work in our building. You can think of it as a kind of Dutch embassy to the European Union.’ Salim represents Dutch interests in European policy on Iraq, Iran, the Gulf States and Yemen. ‘At the moment, for example, we’re discussing packages of sanctions being adopted against Iran, but we’re also preparing for a summit with government leaders from the Gulf States.’
She cannot reveal anything about the substance of the negotiations. Sometimes they are so confidential that they’re not even allowed to bring laptops into the room. ‘Then we sit there with pen and paper’, says Salim. ‘And the negotiations can be quite fierce. I always try to be as well prepared as possible so that nothing catches me out.’ On other days, like today, her work is more relaxed. ‘I’ve been preparing a meeting between our ambassador and the ambassadors of the Gulf States.’
Stay abroad
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs works with postings. Staff can remain in a post for a maximum of four years. ‘I’m here until 2029 at the latest, and then I’ll have to leave or move to another post. I’d like to continue working abroad because being able to represent the Netherlands as a diplomat is really special.’