He is the Chief Academic Advisor of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague. He has been with the Dutch MFA for 25 years, serving in various posts and positions. In the sidelines he has developed an academic career; he is now also professor of International Relations at the University of Amsterdam and professor of Dutch Foreign Policy at the University of Groningen. He is the author of a book on the developmental problems of Sub-Saharan Africa (five translations) and a recent one on the rise of Asia (translation in progress).