From ‘merchants and ministers’ to ‘neutral brokers’: how the Dutch do water diplomacy

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By Farhad Mukhtarov and Des Gasper

The Netherlands has been a leading participant in water diplomacy efforts due to a self-proclaimed water management expertise. An extensive discourse analysis of an advisory report finds that the Netherlands in framing itself as a ‘neutral broker’ pursues multiple objectives in its water diplomacy efforts. The article shows that these include much self-interest, and that this small nation’s mercantilist ambitions are alive and well. It also illustrates how to apply a linked series of discourse analysis methods to key policy texts in a way that is feasible for non-specialists.

Read the full blogpost: "From ‘merchants and ministers’ to ‘neutral brokers’: how the Dutch do water diplomacy"

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