This chapter has been removed: American censorship affects academics in the Netherlands
Of course, Jan Melissen is proud of the publication of his new book. Even so, one painful memory lingers: because of American interference, he was forced to remove the chapter on citizen diplomacy, diversity and inclusion. ‘It did affect me.’
Jan Melissen, editor-in-chief of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, describes it as a painful yet at the same time instructive experience. The changing political climate on the other side of the Atlantic is having a substantial impact on academic freedom – including in the Netherlands.
‘This kind of thing happens in many countries, and unfortunately even within the EU, but you do not expect it to come from an academic powerhouse like the United States.’
Chapter on inclusion
The book Home Engagement in Diplomacy: Global Affairs and Domestic Publics (photo on the right) takes a critical look at how international diplomacy has increasingly also become a domestic story.
Researchers from North and South America, Asia and Europe contributed to the volume, including one author who focused on ‘Citizen diplomacy, diversity, equality and inclusion’ under the Biden administration. She worked and wrote in collaboration with an institution that carries out projects funded by the US government.
Melissen: ‘With Trump in mind, the organisation changed course in order to ensure its own survival. It then systematically removed, as far as possible, the online traces showing that under the previous administration it had followed a different ideological course. This concerns an institution that facilitates exchange programmes and brings in people who may be of value to the United States. In the past, these foreign visitors were shown the faces of a diverse American society, not just “model citizens” approved by the president.
Lawyer
The conversation between this organisation and the author was experienced by the American colleague as intimidating, and a lawyer was set on both the researcher and the European publisher. They were faced with the prospect of a lengthy legal battle. In view of the interests of, among others, early-career researchers and less privileged authors from the Global South, everyone involved made a painful choice: publication without the controversial contribution. It was a devilish dilemma, because all parties hold academic freedom in the highest regard.’
Melissen: ‘It was painful that the very chapter dealing with diplomacy that takes other groups in society into account was the one that had to bear the brunt. If this continues to happen in the US, you end up with an academic community that is increasingly in the grip of the state. In the current culture war, we are already seeing an immediate response at European universities: most colleagues are steering clear for now of the American conferences they used to attend annually.’
What next?
As a journal editor, Jan Melissen believes there are lessons to be learned from this. He is convinced that many people are affected by this issue and that it is important to continue the dialogue. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy will soon publish a Forum on Trump’s diplomacy.
In an interview with the Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California, Melissen and his colleagues say more about how international diplomacy is increasingly becoming a domestic story as well.