Bruges and The Hague: A Jet-lagged Retrospective

Posted by Johnny Henderson

Safely back in Canada, consolidating our notes and continuing to reflect on our time in Europe, the Trinity One class is now moving into the post-trip segment of our Internationalized Course Module.  “Policy”, “Outreach” and “Logistics” teams have been formed for working on the post-trip aspects of the ICM and, as they will be central to the entire post-trip process, I will give these teams the opportunity to post their own thoughts and goals.  I would like, instead, to begin to discuss some of the people and places we’ve been reflecting on since meeting them in Europe.  Now that the jet-lag is beginning to wear off and I have an abundance of time compared to a week ago, I’d like to record our thoughts on the day trips to Bruges and The Hague.  Needless to say, we’ve all been talking about these places since visiting them and one post by one person cannot do justice to the hours spent reflecting on the wealth of knowledge gained and the unique things each person took away from these experiences.  That being said, I hope to be able to give everyone a glimpse of our time in West Flanders and South Holland.

Bruges, in the West Flanders region of Belgium, is a truly magical city.  As scenes from the British dark comedy film “In Bruges” played in my head, landmarks and streets seemed eerily familiar, but even the thought of Colin Farrell running around Bruges could not distract me from the medieval wonder of the city.  As we walked from the train station to the United Nations University, we passed through the Markt (“Market Square”) and took in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Though we would return to the square in the afternoon and explore the surrounding area in our free time, there was a unique feeling when we first turned the corner and the square opened up to us on that snowy morning: Trinity One had indeed arrived in Europe.  Visiting the United Nations University’s Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) programme was an amazing experience.  Housed in the Episcopal Seminary of Bruges, the UN’s flag and talk of regional governance and 21st century security concerns seemed out of place.  This could not have been farther from the truth, as we quickly realized we were sitting in the mecca of regional studies with scholars who not only understood their fields, but also knew how to communicate their findings.  UNU-CRIS’ Associate Director, Dr. Philippe de Lombaerde, gave a comprehensive overview of the UNU system and explained the areas of research of the UNU-CRIS programme.  The class thoroughly enjoyed hearing from Dr. Xinning Song, a Senior Research Fellow at UNU-CRIS, who discussed his comparative regional integration research on the European Union and Asia-Pacific region.  Dr. Song discussed the differences between the two regions as they strive towards integration and commented on the sense of a supranationality within Europe that is markedly absent in the Asia-Pacific region.  He also outlined the different components of his comparative research and discussed the evolving nature of the European Union, which got the class thinking about ideas and concepts that would become recurring themes throughout the week.  The class also enjoyed hearing from researchers, including Emmanuel Fanta and Sonja Schroder, about their work within the field of regional studies.  Particular programmes that interested the class were an examination of migration issues in the modern world and euGRASP (EU as a Global-Regional Actor in Security and Peace).  Discussion surrounding euGRASP provided excellent context for our discussions at NATO and the EU regarding the tension between the North Atlantic Alliance and the EU’s desire for autonomy on security issues.  Our day in Bruges was an amazing educational and cultural experience that, as with the trip in its entirety, I am sure none of us will ever forget.

The Hague, the capital of South Holland in the Netherlands and de facto judicial capital of the United Nations, has been an “international city of peace and justice” since the world’s first peace conference in 1899.  Our visits to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Criminal Tribunal for the former-Yugoslavia (ICTY) were truly eye-opening experiences.  We were initially wowed by the impressive building and knowledgeable staff of the ICC.  It certainly gave off the appearance of an accomplished international organization (though an interesting individual from the defense side who spoke to us made us begin to question the organization).  The facts speak a different story from the appearance though.  One billion dollars and less than a decade later, the ICC is still only on its first two trials with only 14 total indictments.  (Indictments by no means translate into success and a lack thereof is not an indication of failure, but the expediency and depth of the process is incredibly important.)  An individual with whom we met at the ICTY was quick to point out that, with a similar level of funding, the ICTY has issued 161 indictments, has dealt with a large majority of its cases (only a handful remain on the go) and has only two indictees still at-large (Mladic and Hadzic).  Moreover, while the ICC is only eight years into its never-ending mandate, the ICTY is looking to wind down soon, as it has almost accomplished its goal in its entirety.  The ICC was beginning to look like a paper tiger.  Some might even go so far as to say it’s a bit of a joke – albeit an expensive one.  The value and focus of ad hoc tribunals was becoming obvious to us and after hearing about the successes of the ICTY from individuals involved in both the prosecution and defense, we were excited to finally watch an actual trial: that of Mico Stanisic and Stojan Zupljanin. We watched the prosecution go through documents and historical details with a witness.  While I get the sense some were expecting something more from the legal proceedings (think Law & Order or Boston Legal), it was fascinating to watch the actual legal mechanics of an institution we too often leave as a four-letter abbreviation.  It was remarkable to think that the only thing separating us from the trial and a pair of alleged war criminals was a couple of metres and a few inches of bullet-resistant glass.  Our visits to the ICC and ICTY were incredibly insightful and we learnt so much about two institutions that come up regularly in international relations.

Stay tuned for more from the class members spearheading our policy paper, the group working on outreach, Jake and I regarding a logistics summary, and our thoughts on our visits to the EU and NATO as well.  Thank you to everyone that has been following the blog!

Resolving Disputes in the International Community: The Permanent Court of Arbitration

Posted by Jamie Shilton

Established at the First Hague Convention in 1899, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is a vital tool for dispute resolution. The PCA is not a court in the sense of the International Court of Justice or International Criminal Court, but a permanent framework to support international arbitral tribunals. Currently, 110 countries, including all members of the United Nations Security Council and most other major powers are members of the PCA.

In part due to its age, the PCA has several interesting features that distinguish it from post-WWII institutions. Its Administrative Council, which oversees policies and budgets, is comprised of member states’ diplomatic representatives accredited to the Netherlands and is chaired by the Dutch Minister for Foreign Affairs. The PCA’s budget is paid by member states whose contributions are determined by the Universal Postal Union, one of the few other international organizations existing at the time of the PCA’s founding.

The International Bureau of the PCA is composed of experienced legal and administrative staff from around the world. Its primary responsibility is the provision of legal research, administrative support, linguistic support and financial administration to international tribunals, commissions and other entities.

The Members of the Court are appointed by member states to serve as potential arbitrators. Member states can appoint up to four potential arbitrators. Members of the Court from the same country constitute ‘national groups’ who are entitled to nominate candidates for election to the International Court of Justice and for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The PCA is currently providing administrative support to many tribunals around the world, including those of NAFTA. Much of the work of the PCA has been to resolve territorial disputes. Recently, this has included arbitration between the government of Sudan and domestic rebel groups, between Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados, and between Eritrea and Yemen. The PCA also resolves disputes between corporations and countries. There is very little information about the tribunals themselves as hearings take place under utmost secrecy and very little information is released substantiating the results of arbitration.

The PCA is of interest to our group for two reasons. First, it is the primary supporter and administrator of arbitration as a means of international dispute resolution. Given how many disagreements around the world are settled in this fashion, we should become familiar with the process and its advantages. Second, the PCA is one of the few relevant organizations remaining from a different era of international relations. Despite the fact that it was envisaged long before the end of empire in Europe, it has remained a crucially important agent of the peaceful resolution of conflicts between states and other actors.

Den Haag: A Cultural Perspective

Posted by Jeff  Tanaka

The stork is very culturally significant in The Hague

The Hague lies approximately 50 kilometers Southwest of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Serving as the seat of the Dutch government, The Hague is home to over 150 international organizations. Furthermore, it houses the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court giving it its nickname as the ‘City of Peace and Justice’. In 1899 The Hague served as the setting for the First Peace Conference, which involved 26 nations and led to the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Since then many other peace conferences have been held The Hague and it has become the fourth city of the United Nations.

While other posts will cover the structure and significance of the organizations in the Hague, this one will focus on some of the city’s cultural elements.

Located near the coast, The Hague is also home to Scheveningen one of the most popular beaches in the Netherlands. It is on this beach that Flag Day – or Vlaggetjesdag as it is locally known- is celebrated with the arrival of the first herring. The celebration involves the decoration of fishing boats and a variety of children’s games. The importance of herring as a food source is also reflected by the fact that the stork is a symbol of The Hague. These birds were domesticated by the Dutch to clean the remains from fish markets and have since been seen to be harbingers of luck and prosperity.

Aside from herring in all of its forms, another local specialty is the haagse hopje, a coffee flavoured hard candy. It is said that in the 1700s Hendrik Hop kept a cup of coffee by the fire overnight and in the morning it had hardened – he tasted it and it was much to his liking. Speaking with the baker he asked for the candy to be mass produced. Today, the haagse hopje candy still exists and is enjoyed by every Dutch child.