The General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) and the Military Security Service (MIVD) share less information than before with their American counterparts. The directors of both services said this in an interview published on Saturday morning in de Volkskrant.
The Netherlands has historically had a close relationship with American services and it is known that a lot of information is usually exchanged. It is the first time that the Dutch services have confirmed that developments in the United States under Donald Trump, where the rule of law and democracy are under pressure, have consequences for the intelligence relationship.
The directors emphasize in the interview that ties with American services “are still good.” But, MIVD director Peter Reesink adds: “That does not alter the fact that we regularly weigh that cooperation.” AIVD director Erik Akerboom: “Sometimes you have to case by case start thinking: can I still share this information or not?” And later: “We cannot say what we do or do not share. But we can say that we are more critical.”
The directors do not want to elaborate in De Volkskrant about what exactly the worrying developments are in America and what the potential consequences of a less close relationship are. Akerboom: “We do not judge what we see politically, but we look at our experiences with the services. And we are very alert to the politicization of our intelligence and to the violation of human rights.”
Inescapable
In July this year, two former intelligence officers issued a warning NRC that a less close relationship between American and Dutch services seems unavoidable due to the developments under Trump. They expected that information about politically sensitive topics such as Iran’s nuclear program or knowledge about Russia and Ukraine would be shared less quickly.
“The current president of the US is somewhat eroding democracy,” said former MIVD director Pieter Cobelens. He continued: “If that had happened in the Netherlands, it would have been a reason for me to resign as head of service. Given the far-reaching powers of the services, a democracy needs decent guarantees to prevent abuse of power and to ensure that good information is provided. Otherwise you cannot work as a service.”
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For AIVD and MIVD, cooperation with the Americans has always been the cornerstone. ‘It is inevitable that recent developments will have consequences’
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