Dear Mr. Tsvangirai

Thank you for honouring my nation by choosing our embassy in Harare as a safe haven for yourself. Our politicians are once again gleaming with pride. Some of them are suggesting to bring you over here as a political refugee if necessary, but when push comes to shove, I personally don't see how we would be able to get you out of Zimbabwe. Mind you, you are very much welcome.

Once again we can hold on to the idea that The Netherlands holds a reputation around the world for being the centre of justice, sheltering all those fleeing from injustice. But without international support we would not be able to protect you, as the people of Srebrenica will be able to confirm. And if mr. Mugabe's militia start a siege on our embassy, I'm afraid our protection might proof to be insufficient.

Isn't it ironic? For the whites who tried to make segregation an official policy in South Africa in the 20^th century were very much of Dutch descent. In fact, many people think the word 'Apartheid' is a Dutch word. Well, it could've been, but we over here in Holland hadn't heard of it, let alone used it, before the Afrikaners thought it up. And we still don't outside the context of South African history. In English the word would literally be translated as 'apartness' or 'apartdom', which could pass for English, but really is not.

And now we Dutch can feel a little more relieved from our historical baggage and supervening guilt complexes. Once again it is proven that we don't hold a monopoly on racism, and that one does not have to be white to be a racist. We are still guilty, but we are not alone anymore. I reckon recent Zimbabwean history had shown you that already.

Are you a soccer fan? Maybe you were still able to catch some of this year's Eurocup. If these elections were a fortnight earlier, we in Europe would probably not have heard of it. Because for a couple of weeks there, the Eurocup was the only current issue. But as the contesting nations drop from the tournament, the international attention once again gets shifted to other (more urgent) matters.

Maybe you saw the Dutch national team celebrating major triumphs, before unexpectedly getting kicked out by Russia in the quarter finals. Russia being led by Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, who made an historic first for being the first Dutch coach to not only defeat, but also eliminate the Dutch team from a major tournament. This leaves us with quite a dilemma: should we regard mr. Hiddink as a national traitor or as a national hero?

Well, he already was kind of a national hero before this Eurocup, even getting elected Holland's greatest representative internationally, also good for business. Maybe you thought that a nation's spirit like that is proof of an indelible feeling for justice and democracy. Actually it's more of an intuition for our own best interests, for when the nation as a whole has to succumb to this one individual, we can only give kudos to him. Not because we wish to, but because we have to. In that regard mr. Hiddink on his own has gone out to proof that the needs of the one can indeed outweigh the needs of the many.

Maybe you still believe in the International Crime Court, based in The Hague, so much disputed especially by the Americans. They seem to be afraid that some of their own might end up there. And that would be no Abu Graib or Guantanamo Bay, where the Americans have the only say. Still, that would be being overly concerned some, since the ICC is no CIA or mafia, which you supposedly can't escape wherever you go in this world. We are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. Especially Mladic, whom we can personally testify against.

We did get Charles Taylor of Liberia though. It seems that once you've been put before the ICC, the trial itself is only secondary. The prestige lies elsewhere. Like with Slobodan Milosevic. The prosecutor went out to proof his responsibility for the 'ethnic cleansing' during the Yugoslavia wars, but didn't even come near. Milosevic wisely took to his own defence, rejecting all council appointed to him. On his own he put shame on the prosecutor's game, exposing their witnesses as blatant liars, striking deals with the prosecutor for their testimonies against Milosevic. The trial just kept dragging on and the prosecutor's case was left to utter shreds, when in the end Milosevic died. We are to believe mr. Milosevic did not get the right medicine for the ailment he had been suffering from and which was widely known.

Now just try to imagine what it would mean if mr. Milosevic were acquitted. Then the ICC might as well shut up shop. It is a matter of first finding a defendant guilty and subsequently finding the proof to sustain that. It's a more general ailment in the Dutch justice system than any outsider would on first glance gather. So I'm sorry if I have to be the one to blow that bubble for you. But as long as you successfully keep on posing as a prestige object for our politicians, like Nelson Mandela, you won't have to worry about them.

Really, the violence in your country is not just beyond our comprehension, it's even beyond our imagination. We have been living in peace for so long now, that it's hard for this generation to even imagine such violence taking place over here. This of course does not mean that it could not happen, but it is kind of a reassurance, when the general opinion sways that way. Also, things might not be perfect, but we are trying. As I believe that the only permanent solution to any nation's tribulations lies within its own borders, not outside. This letter then, besides being sort of a thank-you note, is also an attempt to inform you about the house in which you seek refuge.

Live long and prosper.

This letter was mailed to the Dutch embassy in Harare on the 29^th of June 2008.

Additional links are videos on the recent Zimbabwe election.