Former NATO Secretary General was interviewed this evening on Radio 1, during which he gave a fascinating round-trip view of the state of global politics. Foremost in his view was the fact that the Netherlands can only exert influence in world affairs via strong, effective institutions, with NATO and the EU at the front. Europeans should never take US interest for granted – Obama has said, according to De Hoop Scheffer, ‘I am also a Pacific President’. Avoiding any contradiction, De Hoop Scheffer stated that ‘I am an Atlanticist but I am also very European’  – there is no tension in this vision, it is a community of common interests. On the issue of the Davids report, he stated that he would respond when the time was right, but that at the moment he would draw two lessons: That the US should not act without allies, and that Europe will achieve nothing if it is divided. He denied that the Netherlands simply followed what the US wanted, and emphasised that in the future the Dutch must increasingly develop good relations with the rising powers of the world – the so-called BRIC block of Brazil Russia India China.

On Afghanistan, the final topic of his interview, he was crystal clear: It would send entirely the wrong message if a nation decides to pull out at this time. The US can only achieve the right goals if it works together with a broad coalition of nations from NATO and beyond. This is exactly the same position that De Hoop Scheffer held when he was NATO Secretary General, and there is no doubt that he had The Hague in mind when he said it now as before.

Tomorrow he will speak at a Christian Democrat party conference on the future of transatlantic relations. We will have to wait a little longer for his full reaction to the Davids report, but it will be worth it.