Rob de Wijk

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Rob de Wijk

Biographical note

Prof. Dr. Rob de Wijk, a former head of the Defence Concepts Division of the Netherlands Ministry of Defence, has been seconded to the Clingendael Institute to perform studies on military aspects of security issues. He is a professor of strategic studies at Leiden University and also a professor of international relations at the Royal Military Academy (MA) in Breda

The following is an abstract of his lecture:

It is widely assumed that after September 11 2001 President George W. Bush has embarked on a new unilateralist course aimed at maintaining American hegemonic power. The attacks on America’s financial and military establishments and the subsequent decision to declare war on terrorism supposedly motivated this shift in policy. Soon after 9/11 a public debate emerged about the consequences of a unilateralist foreign policy for transatlantic relations, the future of international institutions and international stability in general. In this lecture I argue that ever since the European revolution of 1989 a debate has been taking place among American politicians, officials, commentators and scholars about an international system based on unipolarity and the need to maintain hegemonic power. I will further argue that a number of events related to international terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery is responsible for a major policy change, which became visible in 1998. The key question I will address concerns the consequences for other states. Member states of the European Union, most likely will try to counter balance US hegemonic power by deepening integration, while states e.g. in South America will have to deal with tighter US control over their domestic and foreign policies.