Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken

Dutch Diplo Talk

Posts by author Hugo Von Meijenfeldt

Groundwater: The invisible part of the cycle

Hugo Von Meijenfeldt,
2 Nov 2015

photo: The Dutch ‘Polderlandschap’ Almost all parts of the natural water cycle are visible: clouds, rain/snow, surface water in rivers and oceans. People are able to connect flooding and drought to […]

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A rich harvest is not an illusion

Hugo Von Meijenfeldt,
2 Nov 2015

photo: Neelie Kroes and Hugo von Meijenfeldt during the launch of the West Coast Chapter of the Mentoring Network. Sometimes my profession comes close to that of a magician. Assisted […]

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The tentacles of the Dutch Consulate General

Hugo Von Meijenfeldt,
30 Oct 2015

Nineteen people make up the staff of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in San Francisco: five investment officers, three business-to-business officers, three innovation officers, three consular […]

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Alaska is hot

Hugo Von Meijenfeldt,
21 Sep 2015

After two years in office, I finally had the opportunity to visit the northernmost state in my jurisdiction: Alaska. Although everyone advised me to see the countryside, I only had […]

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A work week of the Consul General

Hugo Von Meijenfeldt,
16 Sep 2015

What does a Consul General do? Someone asks me this question every week. Everyone correctly guesses that I’m a diplomat who works for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thanks […]

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Normally my blog is about something that happened last week. This time it is about something that happened in the last 5 years and is still going on in California: […]

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Last week Dafne Schippers won the gold medal in Beijin for running the third fastest 200 m in history.

Last week, 23-year-old Dafne Schippers surprised the world by taking the 200m world gold. Only three months after she decided to exchange the heptathlon for the 100m and 200m, she […]

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A man working on the computer in a Dutch datacenter.

Last week, our office hosted the Dutch Datacenter Association, who were joined by representatives of some of Europe’s most attractive data center locations and a number of Dutch hosting providers. […]

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Cuba, Greece, Iran: diplomacy works

Hugo Von Meijenfeldt,
27 Jul 2015

Globe

Which country does not belong on the following list: Cuba, Greece, or Iran? The answer is none. They all belong on there. Thanks to patient but decisive diplomacy, failed collision […]

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Fourth of July celebrations in San Francisco

Does the fact that you are reading my 100th blog need extra attention? I wouldn’t know why because I plan on writing 100 more. Or should the fact that I […]

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Can diplomacy help cool the planet?

Hugo Von Meijenfeldt,
29 Jun 2015

planet earth

This was the question posed to a high-level panel on the Europe Climate Diplomacy Day on June 17. The Bay Area Council Economic Institute, at the request of the Italian […]

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King Alexander, Queen Maxima in the White House (ANP)

The Netherlands is renewing its approach toward diplomacy, but what does that mean precisely? Will we behave more diplomatically than before? Will we improve the diplomatic training of our staff? […]

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