Well, hello there! I am guessing you are curious about international law, and you have found the right place. Because international law is all around is, for good or bad depending on your perspective. And it impacts you directly. So let me be your guide. International law is surrounded by great stories and fascinating people.
I am an international lawyer by trade, schooled at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) up to a PhD. To my delight, I have been able to teach my alma mater, but also other Dutch universities, including Amsterdam University College, as well as New York University. I seem to have specialized in teaching to non-lawyers, albeit very interested and motivated ones, and I do so with gusto. So I take any opportunity to speak. As long as I can talk and write I am happy; whether it is about international law, foreign policy, or whatever strikes my fancy. And now I have taken my show on the road, outside of the confines of academic life, to explore those other facets of the law: the stories behind abstract legal cases and the people whose views or decisions shape and have shaped international law. I gave up academic research and teaching at university, to start researching and writing about those stories and teaching to anyone who wants to listen.
And frankly, I have never been much of an ivory tower academic, and I have interests ranging far and wide (for example, living). My attention span or penchant for deep legal theory is limited. I am a legal positivist at heart with a simple theoretical mind, and I have been fortunate enough to see the inside of a New York law firm, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, two non-profit organizations and even a commercial venture of my own. I like practical legal problems and dilemmas. I think about globalization without aspiring to change the world.
