'Legal capital of the world': Political centre-formation in The Hague

摘要

The Hague, government centre of the Netherlands, has for a long time played a role as a centre in international judicial affairs. This was initially not the consequence of a deliberate foreign policy, but the outcome of a number of contingencies. There is now a political ambition to under-line the city's international profile. I briefly describe the history of the acquisition, maintenance and care of the international organisations established in The Hague, the contingencies and functional connections that account for this development and the actors involved in this process of international political centre-formation. Significant actors have been the national government of the Netherlands and other state parties, local government of The Hague, and international lobby groups.