The End of the ‘Paper Trail’…

The year 2014, which saw the 68^th volume of the Internationale Spectator: Clingendael Magazine voor Internationale Betrekkingen, turned out to be a very special year – the final year of publishing the journal in a printed, paper edition. The decision to ‘go digital’ from January 2015 was made during summer 2014 by the Board of Governors of the Clingendael Institute on the basis of a detailed advice drafted by a special commission consisting of the editor-in-chief and managing editors of the Spectator and Clingendael’s marketing and communications consultant.

... and a New Digital Start

From January 2015 onwards, the Spectator editions will appear on the website
www.internationalespectator.nl free of charge (‘open access’). The appearance of each edition will be preceded by publication of the online Newsletter.

The above decision meant that the cooperation agreement between Clingendael and Koninklijke Van Gorcum BV, which had published the Internationale Spectator since 1992 on behalf of the Clingendael Institute and the Royal Institute of International Relations EGMONT in Brussels, was terminated at the end of the year. Despite the end of this fruitful relationship, cooperation between the editorial office and Koninklijke Van Gorcum in producing the final range of printed editions remained excellent.

Editorial Policy

The editorial board continued its policy of introducing clusters of articles on the most crucial aspects of international affairs and Dutch foreign policy, as well as presenting to the interested reader a range of essays on more specialised subjects.

As far as the crucial topics are concerned, issues that featured in different issues of the Internationale Spectator during 2014 included: the future of development cooperation; the Ukrainian conflict and MH17; the European elections; sustainability and international climate and energy policy; the emergence of ISIS; terrorism in Africa; and 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Among the specialised subjects that were covered, the following may be mentioned: the European Union’s strategic partnerships; Barack Obama’s fifth year as US President; the Winter Olympics in Sochi amid terrorist Caucasian threats; The Hague as host of the Nuclear Security Summit and NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly; the unbalanced Berlin–Paris axis; the motives of Dutch and Belgian jihad fighters; and the troubles of Turkey in its own backyard.

The preparation process of all these issues required timely acquisition of articles. In this respect, the editorial board was able to draw on a well-established arsenal of highly qualified researchers and policy-makers in the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as from among the ranks of the Clingendael Institute.

Preparing before Publishing

The editorial process commences with checking all contributions against the highest quality standards in a peer-review phase involving members of the General Editorial Board. When the articles (and other contributions) have passed this quality test, they are thoroughly edited. In order to address as many issues as possible and to enhance legibility, the editorial board has continued its policy to limit the length of each article, preferably to (the equivalent of) four pages in print. Each article is provided with a short introduction, one or two ‘streamers’ and, if possible, (copyright-free) pictures.

Reviews: Films, Books, Reports

In 2014, Internationale Spectator’s ‘Film Review’ section, co-ordinated by Anne Marinussen (Clingendael Academy), was successfully continued. Each issue featured a review of a film or a documentary covering a historic or current international political theme, including Wadja; Captain Phillips; Narco Cultura; The Monuments Men; Viva Cuba Libre, Rap is War; 12 Years a Slave; Chicago Girl: The Social Network Takes on a Dictator; Karama Has No Walls; A Most Wanted Man; The Agreement; and La Jaula de Oro.

As shown in Table 1 below, 40 reviews of books were published on a wide range of topics, while more concise profiles of books and (advisory) reports were presented each month in the section ‘Nieuw Verschenen’, which was once again coordinated by Joris Kreutzer.

Authors, Editors, Contributions

Volume 68 (2014) saw contributions from approximately 175 persons, including many authors from Flanders/Belgium and from among Clingendael Institute’s staff. The total number of contributions was 170, consisting of eleven columns, 103 articles, 51 reviews of books and films, and five contributions to the ‘response/reply’ section. Concise profiles were published of 40 important Dutch or foreign books, as well as reports and brochures, etc.

The articles received by the editorial office were submitted in a peer-review process to the members of the General Board for their judgement. On the basis of these commentaries, the ‘kernredactie’, consisting of the editor-in-chief and the two managing editors, evaluated the articles and other contributions during their weekly meetings. At these meetings, all other editorial, publishing and organisational matters concerning the Internationale Spectator were dealt with as well.

The editorial office consisted of the editor-in-chief, Prof. Jan Q.Th. Rood, and senior editors Dr Sico van der Meer (replacing Judith Nuijens, who left the editorial office in December 2013) and Dr Peter Schregardus. Marleen van Oudheusden took charge of the secretariat.

The General Board, which was presided over by the editor-in-chief, Prof. Jan Q.Th. Rood, consisted of 19 members. At the beginning of 2014, Judith Nuijens and Dr Stephan Slingerland, an expert on energy policies, became new members, while Dr H. Hoebeke stepped down during the course of the year. The Board met three times for general meetings in The Hague: on 25 February; 6 May; and 14 October.