Speeches & Editorials
“Sometimes You Have To Make a Fist”
U.S. Ambassador Roland Arnall thinks Europe Talks Too Much
April 21, 2007 De Telegraaf
By Ron Korver
The arrival of the American Ambassador in the Netherlands, billionaire Roland Arnall (67) took quite some time. He was under fire because of legal cases against his company, which provides mortgages to people who would elsewhere not be eligible for a loan. But after a 325 million dollar settlement, Congress gave the green light. In March last year, this ended a nine month period of no Ambassador.
Why on earth would someone your age and so very rich, want to become the Ambassador to the Netherlands?
“Oh well,” he says on the sunny terrace of his residence in The Hague. “I spent the first half of my life setting up businesses. And I was successful doing that. I know Europe well and I wanted to give back to my country. I think that I can play an important role in representing the U.S. in Europe. I will dedicate the second half of my life doing that. I will live to be 120 you see,” he says with a big smile which has already become his trademark in The Hague.
You dropped from ranking 73 to 85 on the Forbes list of rich Americans. It seems that you, given the problems on the American mortgage market, lost half a billion Euros over a short period of time.
“Is that right? Guess so, I really don’t know. I do not make the calculations and so I don’t know if they are accurate. And, to tell you the truth, I don’t really care. I am not interested in such lists. I feel honored to be able to be the Ambassador here, and that is where I invest all my energy in. I handed over leadership of my company to my wife and that’s that for me.”
You first supported the Democrats. Where does your love for the Republican Bush suddenly come from?
“After September 11 our country needed leadership. I was disappointed in the Clinton administration that had not been very careful about security for eight years. Our country had been attacked by terrorists several times, for example in Kenya and Yemen. And each time there was a very weak reaction. Don’t forget that ‘mister’ Bin Laden was a ‘nobody’ when Clinton came to office. You know what happened after that. The scourge of terrorism has become a global problem which requires a joint approach. I believe our government is doing what is best for the security of our country. Of course I know there is criticism of our terrorism approach but just turn the question around: what would you do if your country had been attacked?”
There is a lot of criticism of the Bush administration in Europe. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was fed up with the criticism of the intervention in Iraq as expressed by, for example, France and Germany, and dismissed those countries pityingly as “the old Europe.” That was not really beneficial for the transatlantic relations, right?
“Rumsfeld was not known for his in diplomatic skills,” says Arnall with a sense of understatement. “But Europe thinks too often that everything can be solved in a diplomatic way. Unfortunately, practice is different and sometimes you have to make a fist. If you do not believe in that then it makes no sense to continue spending money on a defense system. The question you sometimes have to ask is, ‘when do you stop talking and take military action?’ It is difficult to decide the perfect moment. European countries prefer to talk for a long time, while the United States is criticized for reaching for the weapons too quickly. But look at the Second World War. A number of European countries waited far too long before neutralizing Hitler,” he says referring to countries such as Russia and Great Britain which had signed non-aggression treaties which later proved useless.
A lot of people in the Netherlands criticize Bush. Are you concerned about that?
“I notice that the Dutch still love America and the Americans, even though I do see that our foreign policy is not well-received. I travel a lot through the Netherlands and have visited several universities where I engaged in discussions with students. In the dialogue, you notice that many young people are searching for the right answers. The U.S. is not perfect but then who is? Maybe your mother if you are still single, or your wife if you have not been married for too long. We are engaged in a broader conflict between people who believe in freedom and people who believe in terror." I just hope that people will see that the U.S. is making more good than bad decisions in that.”
How do you judge the role the Netherlands is playing in the fight against terrorism, for example in Afghanistan?
“We are grateful for the outstanding role your troops are playing in reconstruction there. The Netherlands is a loyal ally that acknowledges the importance of a well-functioning democracy in Afghanistan.”
It seems that you are lobbying very hard for a Dutch decision to extend its mission in Afghanistan beyond the two years previously agreed.
“Whatever the outcome may be, we will respect that. It is a Dutch decision and yes, every contribution is welcome,” he says while his dog “Prince” -a cross between a Bouvier and a Dalmatian- comes wagging his tail. “Look there is my philosopher. On important issues I always ask him for advice.” It is clear that the Arnall family loves animals: “I also have two other dogs, 2 cats, and two birds,” he proudly says. But he does not talk about his efforts behind the scenes to get support for an extension [of the mission in Afghanistan]. Later that day, your reporter happens to run into Arnall again when he leaves the Ministry of Defense.
What is your most important mission in the Netherlands?
“First of all I want to maintain good relations. When I arrived here, I invested a lot in building up a relationship with your government. But then the government fell and I started all over again. But everywhere I visit, I will always emphasize that we share the same values.”
You have been in the Netherlands a little over a year now. What struck you the most? What were your highlights?
“You have wonderful bike paths. My wife and I love to ride through the dunes to Noordwijk; we enjoy that immensely.” Then he says in a more serious tone: “Meeting Queen Beatrix when I presented my credentials is still a major highlight for me. Inspecting the honor guard, the national anthems, and the conversation I had with her. It was a wonderful privilege I will always cherish.” I was very moved at the American military cemetery in Margraten where all the graves are adopted and maintained by local people. Last year I was there for Memorial Day and I will be there again this year. I was also deeply touched by the September 11 commemoration in the Synagogue in The Hague. There was a rabbi, a priest, and an imam there for that service. Your Vice-Prime Minister Zalm was also present, but also fellow Ambassadors from several Muslim countries.”
FROM SELLING FLOWERS TO AMBASSADOR
Who is Roland Arnall? In the United States he is an “American-Jew.” But his first years in France he was raised Catholic. His Romanian father and his Czech mother met in Paris where they had moved to before the Second World War. Besides French, he later, urged by his mother after the war, also learned Hebrew. Before the Korean war, he was twelve then, the family moved to Canada. Father Arnall, who was a tailor, had a preference for the U.S. but the family did not get a visa at the time.
But after five years in Canada that dream still came true and the family moved to California. “My father returned from a family visit to Beverly Hills. He said he had found the place to live. A place where there were no poor people,” Arnall remembers the choice for the new destination. In California, Arnall lived the American dream. As a student he started selling eggs door-to-door and then flowers on the corner of the street. Later he had others run several street corners for him, the flowers for which he supplied with his first truck. Via real estate he ended up in the financial services sector; he has also been active in energy and the Internet. He is now worth 2.5 billion Euros and flies around in a private jet.
Also when it comes to ideology, it took a long time before Arnall had found his final destination. He initially preferred the Democrats but the September 11 attacks, he says, “woke him up.” From that moment on, he supported Arnold Arnold Swarzenegger’s campaign to become governor of California and he contributed many millions to Bush’s presidential campaign. Later he became the Ambassador to the Netherlands.