Table of Contents - The John Adams Institute

THE JOHN
ADAMS
INSTITUTE
ANNUAL
REPORT 2015
The John Adams Institute
Annual Report 2015
Table of Contents
3
Mission Statement
4
Note from the Director
6
Events
43
Other Activities
48
Memberships, Sponsors and Supporters
54
Making it Happen
58
Attendance 2015
59
In the Press
West-Indisch Huis, Herenmarkt 97, 1013 EC Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel. +31(0)20 6247280 – [email protected] – www.john-adams.nl
Mission
The John Adams Institute
The John Adams Institute provides an independent podium for American culture in the Netherlands. We believe
in the power of words and ideas, in intellectual exchange through real-life encounters. We invite the best and
the brightest from a multitude of disciplines – novelists, politicians, historians, scientists, screenwriters, poets,
photographers and tech wizards – to the Netherlands to talk about their work, their thoughts, their insights.
Our name commemorates the man who was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence, who was
the de facto first ambassador of that young new country to the Netherlands, and who later became the second
President of the United States.
There is a unique connection between the United States and the Netherlands. The Dutch founded the colony
New Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, which gave rise to New York. America’s most vital elements – its mixed
society and its free trade ethic — are rooted in those Dutch beginnings. Now that immigration, diversity, and
national identity are major topics of debate in the Netherlands, it is all the more valuable that we bring American
perspectives to the Dutch. America as a land of immigrants can offer some insights to the country that helped
give rise to it.
3
Note from the Director
We’re on a roll! The year 2015 was a really, really good one for the John
Adams. Let me tell you more.
We had some extraordinary speakers. Jonathan Franzen was back at the
John Adams for the fourth (!) time, now for his new novel Purity. Harvard
historian Niall Ferguson drew a big crowd to hear about his biography of
Kissinger – be warned, at over 1000 pages this was merely part one.
Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam filled the Aula of the University of
Amsterdam to talk about the growing inequality in the US, with the Dutch
Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Lodewijk Asscher as his
sidekick. And just a few days after his event with us, novelist Anthony
Doerr was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
Putnam was also part of our Elections series, which we started in 2015 and
which will run through the fall, as we right up to the elections on Nov. 8th.
Other speakers in the series were professor of government Jennifer Lawless, Buffy Wicks who was a senior staff
member of Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns, and Senator George Mitchell, long a figurehead of the
Democratic party. Given the current political momentum, we were happy to welcome Eelco Bosch van Rosenthal,
former US correspondent for Dutch television, as a member of our board.
More to follow on the Elections front in 2016!
As an independent not-for-profit that receives no subsidies and has no endowment, we are dependent on our
supporters, both individuals en businesses, to do what we do: bringing the best and the brightest of American
thinking to the Netherlands. So we were delighted with the decision by Getronics to become a main sponsor as of
2016. We’re looking forward to working together.
4
Our warm thanks also to New Angle, the cultural foundation of Mary-Lou Collins and Ian Kantor of Stichting
New Angle, with whose support we have started the John Adams family. This is a group of private donors who
support us and for whom we organize exclusive events in a stimulating intellectual and social setting. Preceding
the actual launch in February 2016, we organized pre-events for the Family with TC Boyle at a Family
member’s home, and in the Mauritshuis with an event about the Rembrandt’s painting ‘The Anatomy Lesson’.
Our educational objectives reach further than our events. Our Quincy Club for high school students had slavery
as its theme this year, on the occasion of the abolition of slavery 150 years ago in the US. And Allard den Dulk
of the Amsterdam University College gave a literature course for us on David Foster Wallace and his
generation.
Upcoming in 2016: art historian Estil Pennington will be giving a course for us on American art. The theme of
this year’s Quincy Club will, of course, be the November elections. And we are set to start a John Adams
Bookclub, coordinated by Glen Kendall.
It was Glen who brought a book to our attention of personal reminiscences by his Dartmouth class of 1964 of
their time in Vietnam. We published a ten-part series as a blog and subsequently as a handsome digital
publication on our website.
We continue to try to inform more people about our activities, for example with high-profile poster campaign
and by having a stand at the yearly Uitmarkt. Come see us again this summer!
Tracy Metz,
Director John Adams Institute
5
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EVENTS
Event photos by Gerrit Serné
____________________________
JENNIFER
LAWLESS
ELECTION SERIES
THE U.S. MIDTERM ELECTIONS
JANUARY 14, 2015
The midterm elections revealed the deep divisions within American society. With a Republican majority in both the
House of Representatives and the Senate, Obama has a tough last two years ahead of him. Jennifer Lawless, director
of the Women & Politics institute at the American University in Washington DC, reflected on the question: where do we
go from here?
Lawless is a nationally recognized expert on women’s involvement in politics. The midterm elections brought the
number of women in Congress up from 99 to … 100. In spite of the fact that the number of women in Congress has
more than tripled in the past thirty years, the U.S. still ranks 90th worldwide in the percentage of women serving in the
national legislature. In her book It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don’ t Run for Office (2010) she examined
data from national surveys in 2001 and 2008 and came to the conclusion that despite cultural evolution and society’s
changing attitudes towards women in politics, running for public office remains a much less attractive and feasible
endeavor for women than men. And this gender gap in political ambition persists across generations and over time.
In cooperation with: The U.S. Embassy The Hague
Moderator: Paul Brill, columnist and former US correspondent for the Volkskrant
Location: Agnietenkapel, Amsterdam
7
Special thanks to: University of Amsterdam
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BILL
BROWDER
RED NOTICE
FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Bill Browder, founder and CEO of the hedge fund Hermitage Capital Management, went from being the biggest foreign
investor in Russia’s stock market to being ‘one of the country’s biggest enemies’, in his own words. His battle against
corporate corruption led to the authorities declaring him a “threat to national security” and a prison sentence of nine
years. His Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, had already been jailed and died in prison in 2009. Ever since, Browder
has been fighting for justice for Magnitsky.
He tells his fascinating story in the true-life political thriller Red Notice, “an indispensable look at the brutal realities of
the Putin regime”, according to chess grand master Gary Kasparov. “It is of even greater relevance thanks to Bill
Browder’s unique expertise and personal experience inside the belly of the beast.” A chilling, sinister portrait of a
society in which the rule of law has been destroyed by those sworn to enforce it.
In cooperation with: Atlas Contact publishers
Moderator: Michel Krielaars, NRC Handelsblad
Location: De Duif, Amsterdam
9
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ANTHONY
DOERR
ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE
APRIL 7, 2015
Masterpiece. Tremendous. Wow. Overwhelming. Just a few characterizations by readers of Anthony Doerr’s All the
Light We Cannot See. And the literary critics were also unanimous: Anthony Doerr has an immense talent for
storytelling. His masterful and moving novel about two young people during World War II rapidly became a #1 New
York Times bestseller and was a National Book Award finalist.
The story follows a blind precocious French girl and a scientifically minded German boy whose paths intertwine during
the German occupation of France. At its core this is the story of two young, innocent children who are forced into the
ugliness of war, both of them victims in some way, neither of them innocent for long. A “hauntingly beautiful new book,”
according to New York Times’ Janet Maslin.
Two weeks after his visit to the John Adams, Anthony Doerr won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for All the Light We
Cannot See, which the jury described as “an imaginative and intricate novel inspired by the horrors of World War II and
written in short, elegant chapters that explore human nature and the contradictory power of technology.”
In cooperation with: House of Books publishers
Moderator: Jonathan Groubert, journalist
Location: People’s Place, Amsterdam
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GEORGE
PACKER
ELECTION SERIES
THE UNWINDING: AN INNER HISTORY OF THE NEW AMERICA
APRIL 16, 2015
America is unravelling. Within three decades, the land of endless opportunity has become more than ever a country of
winners and losers. In his book “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America,” George Packer shows us how
the nation’s social fabric is coming apart at the seams.
As industry has declined and the economy has slid into a crushing recession, wages have stagnated and inequality has
grown, making life especially difficult for the middle class. Packer interweaves the bigger story of the state of the nation
with portraits of ordinary people who, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, continue to believe they can get ahead
by sheer willpower and positive thinking.
Packer is a staff writer for The New Yorker as well as a novelist and playwright. His book about the Iraq war “The
Assassins’ Gate” was highly praised, and “The Unwinding” won the National Book Award for non-fiction.
In cooperation with: Atlas Contact publishers
Moderator: Chris Kijne, VPRO
Location: De Posthoornkerk, Amsterdam
13
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LASZLO
BOCK
WORK RULES
MAY 21, 2015
Each year, Google receives more than two million job applications from around the world. The company has been
rated the #1 Best Company to Work For in the United States and 16 other countries, the 1# top Diversity Employer, and
the best company for women in technology. But what makes Google such a widely praised work environment?
In his book Work Rules! Laszlo Bock, head of Google’s People Operations takes us inside one of history’s most
explosively successful businesses. His book is a playful manifesto including such rules as “Don’t trust your gut,” “Hire
only people who are smarter than you” and “Pay unfairly (it’s more fair!)”. Bock gives new HR insights not only from
inside Google, but also from a range of other industries, drawing on the latest research in behavioral economics.
This book is for everyone who is curious about Google, according to Publisher’s Weekly: “Anecdotes about Google’s
founding and history mingle with discussions of management theory, psychology, and behavioral economics to create
a fascinating and accessible read.”
In cooperation with: Ambo Anthos publishers
Moderator: Jeroen Smit, financial journalist
Location: Aula UvA, Amsterdam
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Special thanks to: University of Amsterdam
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JEROME
KARABEL
WHO GETS IN, WHAT COMES OUT
MAY 28, 2015
How do the highly selective and controversial admissions policies of Ivy League and other elite universities compare to
Dutch admissions policies, where the requirements are less subjective? Do the more transparent, standardized and
accessible entry requirements for Dutch universities result in a lower quality education? How do grants, scholarships
and financial aid policies compare between the U.S. and the Netherlands?
Jerome Karabel gave a talk and had a discussion with Alexander Rinnooy Kan, Professor of Economics at the
Universiteit van Amsterdam, in which they explored and compared the American and Dutch/European challenges,
goals and opportunities in top level education in the context of an increasingly global education ‘marketplace’.
In cooperation with: The Ivy Circle and Harvard Club NL
Moderator: Hollis Kurman, chairwoman Ivy Circle
Location: International School of Amsterdam, Amstelveen
Special thanks to: The U.S. Embassy and the International School of Amsterdam
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LESLIE
JAMISON
THE EMPATHY EXAMS
JUNE 2, 2015
Beginning with her experience as a medical actor, paid to act out symptoms for medical students to diagnose, Leslie
Jamison’s visceral and revealing essays ask essential questions about our basic understanding of others: How should
we care about one another? How can we feel another’s pain, especially when pain can be assumed, distorted, or
performed? Is empathy a tool by which to test or even grade each other?
By confronting pain—real and imagined, her own and others’—Jamison uncovers a personal and cultural urgency
to feel. She draws from her own experiences of illness and bodily injury to engage in an exploration that extends far
beyond her life, spanning wide-ranging territory—from poverty tourism to phantom diseases, street violence to reality
television, illness to incarceration—in its search for a kind of sight shaped by humility and grace.
Leslie Jamison attended Harvard, Yale, and the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. Her first novel, The Gin Closet, was
published by Free Press in 2010. Her second book, The Empathy Exams, an essay collection published by Graywolf
Press, debuted at no. 11 on the New York Times bestseller list. It was widely praised by critics, with the New York
Times saying: “it’s hard to imagine a stronger, more thoughtful voice emerging this year.”
In cooperation with: Hollands Diep publishers
Moderator: Ellen de Bruin, NRC Handelsblad
Location: People’s Place, Amsterdam
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SENATOR GEORGE
MITCHELL
ELECTION SERIES
THE NEGOTIATOR
JUNE 8, 2015
During a political career that spans over four decades, George Mitchell has gained a reputation for his skill in finding
compromise and common sense in desperate situations and places. In his aptly-titled memoir The Negotiator, he
shares compelling stories about his youth in Maine, his years in the Senate, his work to bring peace to Northern Ireland
and the Middle East, and what he’s learned about the art of negotiation during every stage of his life.
The memoir is a classic story of the American Dream. Growing up in a working class family, Mitchell experienced
firsthand the demoralizing effects of unemployment when his father was laid off from a lifelong job. But education was
always a household priority, and Mitchell embraced every opportunity that came his way, eventually becoming the
ranking Democrat in the Senate during the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Described by The New York Times as “a diplomatic heavyweight,” Senator Mitchell has been praised by The Atlantic
as “reflective about his work in public life – and insightful about various issues – in a way that is rare among retired
politicians.” His stories, told with wit, frankness, and a style all his own, offer valuable insights into critical moments in
the last half-century of business, law, and politics, both domestic and international.
In cooperation with: DLA Piper, Netherlands Atlantic Association and The U.S. Embassy The Hague
Moderator: Juurd Eijsvoogel, NRC Handelsblad
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Location: Sociëteit De Witte, Den Haag
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MICHELLE
MILLER
THE UNDERWRITING: NEW CONCEPTS IN PUBLISHING
JUNE 16, 2015
Sex scandals, power plays, shady trading, and even murder. This is the cluster of elements underpinning Michelle
Miller´s corporate thriller The Underwriting, which brings together the different cultures of Wall Street and California in a
story about a successful startup in Silicon Valley. The Underwriting, translated into Dutch by LS Publishers under the
title De Deal, is also an innovative publishing project. Described as a “digital serial novel,” the book was self-published
online in twelve installments, each taking around thirty minutes to read, with a week between the release of each new
episode. The website was filled with extras including DJ playlists, photography, finance tutorials and brand
sponsorships. Its global audience caused traditional publishing to take notice and eventually led, in reversed order, to a
book deal.
During this evening, Miller was joined by moderator Dan Hassler-Forest and journalist Ernst-Jan Pfauth, publisher of
the new initiative in journalism De Correspondent. They discussed not only the novel, but also the new publication
concept. The Underwriting is a book, but was presented the way a show like Suits or Mad Men is presented. Question
is: will we encounter this method of publication more frequently in the future? Or is competing with television series not
the solution for publishers?
In cooperation with: Luitingh Sijthoff publishers
Moderator: Dan Hassler-Forest, Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Location: Felix in de Steigers, Amsterdam
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T. CORAGHESSEN
BOYLE
THE HARDER THEY COME
SEPTEMBER 5, 2015
After his first visit two decades ago, one of the paragons of American literature, T.C. Boyle, returned to the John Adams
Institute. His latest novel, The Harder They Come, recounts the miseries of a troubled father and son in a resonant
meditation on the American frontier ethos.
Exploring the dark side of the American Dream, the novel recapitulates themes that have preoccupied Boyle
throughout his long career: his fascination with characters who pit themselves against their neighbors, the system and
nature; freedom as both a founding principle of America — and an invitation to rebellion and self-indulgence; and the
dark fallout of ideological certainty and obsession.
The Harder They Come has been praised by critics as a Great American Novel: a drama taking place at the core of the
American soul. “From the novel’s thrilling set piece of a start […] to its pensive conclusion,” The New York Times
wrote, “The Harder They Come is a masterly — and arresting — piece of storytelling, arguably Mr. Boyle’s most
powerful, kinetic novel yet”.
In cooperation with: Meridiaan publishers and Paradiso
Moderator: Toef Jaeger, NRC Handelsblad
Location: Paradiso, Amsterdam
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NOAH
CHARNEY
THE ART OF FORGERY
SEPTEMBER 24, 2015
Art forgery has an intriguing place in the world of crime. No violence, no victims and forgers are often seen as cheeky
practical jokers. Who doesn’t remember Han van Meegeren, who tricked Herman Göring into buying a fake Vermeer?
Also, the benefits for art criminals outweigh the risks they have to take, according to art crime expert Noah Charney,
professor of art history at The American University of Rome and founding director of ARCA, the Association for
Research into Crimes against Art. In his book The Art of Forgery (translated into Dutch as Kunstvervalsing by Terra
Lannoo publishers),
Charney highlights the complexities of forgery, from forgers to professionals to society’s perception, and investigates
how the world’s most artful tricksters succeeded in deceiving the art world. “A fascinating account of avarice and
hubris,” according to the Washington Post. In 360 International he gives insight into the writing process of his latest
book and shares tips on effective writing.
In cooperation with: Terra Lannoo publishers
Moderator: Pieter van Os, NRC Handelsblad
Location: Amstelkerk, Amsterdam
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JONATHAN
FRANZEN
PURITY
OCTOBER 19, 2015
Jonathan Franzen has returned to the John Adams Institute with an impressive new novel about youthful idealism,
fidelity, identity and secrets. Purity (in publisher Prometheus’ Dutch translation: Zuiverheid) is the story of a young girl
named Pip (born Purity) Tyler who goes in search of her unknown father. Written with “conversational, enormously
intelligent prose that wears its subtlety and precision lightly,” according to a review of a pre-publication of Purity by The
Guardian, the novel takes the reader from California to Bolivia and Germany, following a cast of vividly original
characters.
In cooperation with: Prometheus publishers
Moderator: Pieter van den Blink, journalist
Location: De Rode Hoed, Amsterdam
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NIALL
FERGUSON
KISSINGER THE IDEALIST: 1923-1968
OCTOBER 26, 2015
Niall Ferguson, Professor of History at Harvard University and one of the most renowned historians of this age, has
returned to the John Adams Institute to discuss part one of his long-awaited biography of Henry Kissinger, former US
Secretary of State and foreign policy chief for Presidents Nixon and Ford.
Kissinger is widely regarded as one of the greatest strategic thinkers America has ever produced, but also a
controversial statesman – criticized by some for disreputable or even criminal actions. In Kissinger: The Idealist, Niall
Ferguson sheds a dazzling new light on an entire era. Drawing not only on Kissinger’s private papers but also on
documents from more than a hundred archives around the world, Ferguson argues that the true foundation of
Kissinger’s thought is philosophical idealism—combined with history itself.
Niall Ferguson is the bestselling author of several books on international and economic history and has written and
presented three documentary series for British television. He is married to politician and author Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
In cooperation with: Hollands Diep publishers
Moderator: Eelco Bosch van Rosenthal, Nieuwsuur and former U.S. correspondent
Location: Felix in de Steigers, Amsterdam
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Special thanks to: Andaz Hotel
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BUFFY
WICKS
ELECTION SERIES
INSIGHTS INTO THE U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
NOVEMBER 10, 2015
What are the odds of Hillary Clinton becoming the next president of the United States, and becoming the most powerful
woman in the world? At least she is the favorite candidate in the Democratic primary. But how does the presidential
campaign really work? Exactly one year before Election Day, Buffy Wicks, an insider of the Democratic campaign,
gave a unique inside-look at the elections campaigns on this special Presidential Elections 2016 event, organized by
the John Adams Institute and BKB.
Buffy Wicks is a veteran of President Barack Obama’s campaign as his former deputy director of the White House
Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Obama Administration.
Introduction by Ruth Oldenziel, TU Eindhoven
In cooperation with: BKB Campagnebureau and De Melkweg
Moderator: Eelco Bosch van Rosenthal, Nieuwsuur and former U.S. correspondent
Location: De Melkweg, Amsterdam
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LAIRD
HUNT
NEVERHOME
NOVEMBER 13, 2015
Lucky Laird Hunt, to get praise like this from his famous fellow author Paul Auster for his novel Neverhome: “This is a
spare, beautiful novel, so deeply about America and the language of America that its sentences seem to rise up from
the earth itself. Magnificent.” Neverhome is the story of Constance Thompson, a woman who disguises herself as a
man in order to fight in the Civil War, under the nom de guerre Ash Thompson. It’s a story full of hardship and the
horrors of the Civil War, seen through his/her eyes. Neverhome is fiction, but not fantasy – there really were women
who fought in the Civil War disguised as men, and his book is based on several of their diaries. The Civil War is also
still very much alive in America’s consciousness, as the recent controversy over the use of the Confederate flag shows.
His book touches om many aspects of American society, both topical and historical. Auster: “Laird Hunt had me under
his spell from the first word of Neverhome to the last.”
In cooperation with: Meridiaan publishers and Spui25
Moderator: Maarten Westerveen, VPRO
Location: Spui25, Amsterdam
Special thanks to: Andaz Hotel
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MARILYNNE
ROBINSON
LILA
NOVEMBER 15, 2015
One of the most prominent novelists of her generation came to the John Adams Institute to talk about her new
novel Lila, the third and final part of her Gileadtrilogy. Readers all over the world had anxiously been awaiting it, among
them President Obama who identifies her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gilead as one of his favorite contemporary
books.
With Lila, the reader returns to the small-town, church-centered world of the preacher John Ames. But this time his
young wife Lila, who was in the background in the first two novels, takes pride of place. Robinson succeeds in
revealing the mind of an uneducated woman struggling to comprehend why things happen and what our lives
mean. Lila was a National Book Award finalist and is “both believable and achingly beautiful,” according to The
Huffington Post.
In cooperation with: De Arbeiderspers publishers
Moderator: Yvonne Zonderop, journalist
Location: Felix in de Steigers, Amsterdam
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ROBERT
PUTNAM
ELECTION SERIES
OUR KIDS: THE AMERICAN DREAM IN CRISIS
NOVEMBER 16, 2015
A groundbreaking examination of the growing inequality gap from the bestselling author of Bowling Alone: why fewer
Americans today have the opportunity for upward mobility.
Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam—about whom The Economist said, “his scholarship is wide-ranging, his intelligence
luminous, his tone modest, his prose unpretentious and frequently funny”—offers a personal but also authoritative look
at this new American crisis. Putnam begins with his high school class of 1959 in Port Clinton, Ohio. By and large the
vast majority of those students—“our kids”—went on to lives better than those of their parents. But their children and
grandchildren have had harder lives amid diminishing prospects. Putnam tells the tale of lessening opportunity through
poignant life stories of rich and poor kids from cities and suburbs across the country, drawing on a formidable body of
research done especially for this book.
Mr. Putnam was joined on stage by Lodewijk Asscher, minister of Social Affairs and Employment.
Moderator: Casper Thomas, De Groene Amsterdammer
Location: Aula UvA, Amsterdam
Special thanks to: University of Amsterdam and Nexus Instituut
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GARRY
KASPAROV
WINTER IS COMING
DECEMBER 12, 2015
The growing rift between Russia and the West represents a conflict between modernity and the past, according to
chess grand master-turned human rights activist Garry Kasparov. For over a decade Kasparov has been an outspoken
opponent of Vladimir Putin’s growing authoritarianism, but he has also been equally critical of the US and its allies for
their unwillingness to confront Moscow.
Now Kasparov is expanding his criticisms into book form: ‘Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of
the Free World Must Be Stopped’. Today, with domestic opposition cowed, nationalism resurgent, and with a renewed
military assertiveness, Kasparov believes that Putin’s Russia poses a threat to Western interests and democratic
values that can no longer be ignored. How long can Putin maintain his grip on power? And can the West confront
Russia without conflict?
In cooperation with: Atlas Contact publishers
Moderator: Michel Krielaars, NRC Handelsblad
Location: De Rode Hoed
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OTHER
ACTIVITIES
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WOODY
ALLEN
WOODY AND THE BIG APPLE
AUGUST 22, 2015
In the summer of 2015 EYE was showing ‘The Comedies of Woody Allen’. On August 22th, EYE and the John Adams
collaborated on a special screening of three Woody Allen films in which New York plays an important role. John Adams
director Tracy Metz gave an introduction on the role the city plays in Allen’s films; sociologist Jan Rath of the University
of Amsterdam gave a talk based on his anthology ‘Immigration and the New Urban Landscape’ in New York and
Amsterdam.
Subsequently the National Youth Jazz Orchestra played in the EYE Arena as part of the Grachtenfestival, with a
repertoire inspired by Woody Allen’s odes to the big city.
In cooperation with: EYE
Location: EYE
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THE WAR WE WOULD FORGET
“The war our country would like to forget, but
should remember’’– that is how Phil
Schaefer describes the Vietnam War in his
introduction to the collection of essays that he
edited under the title Dartmouth Veterans:
Vietnam Perspectives. It is four decades ago
that the war, which lasted for nearly 20 years,
ended abruptly. Many will see in their mind’s eye
the iconic photo of the tumultuous evacuation by
helicopter from the roof of the US embassy in
Saigon – and the desperation in the eyes of the
Vietnamese employees left behind.
To commemorate this painful episode in
American history, the John Adams Institute
published a series of blogs by Vietnam vets, all
of them members of the 1964 class at the
venerable Ivy League Dartmouth College in New
Hampshire. The book was brought to our
attention by one of them, Glen Kendall, who
lives in Amsterdam. His essay (to be included in
this series) is a wrenchingly personal account of
how under fire he “became capable of very
terrible things in the cause of ‘making the world
free for democracy’” – and of the nightmares
that haunted him for years afterwards.
The War We Would Forget was made into a beautiful publication on Issuu. It can be found on our website john-adams.nl
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QUINCY
CLUB
150 YEARS OF SLAVERY ABOLITION
The Quincy Club is the educational branch of the John Adams Institute. Its events strive to enlighten Dutch high school
students about American affairs in a non-partisan and informative fashion. Started in 2002, the Quincy Club is part of
our ongoing effort to help young audiences better understand American culture. The club’s activities take students into
an interactive new learning environment through American history, literature and art.
This year’s Quincy Club was inspired by the fact that 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in
America, as well as the end of a bloody civil war between the Northern and Southern states, in which slavery played an
essential role. The 2015 Quincy Club program was supported financially by the American Embassy, and provided in
collaboration with Stichting Stil Verleden by Maria Reinders-Karg.
The Quincy Club visited 50 schools to provide lectures for students aged 12 to 15. The program consisted of two
lectures of an hour. The first of these examined the Dutch slave trade and placed it within the context of the history of
slavery from classical antiquity to the present. The second half of the program focused on the history and legacy of
slavery in the United States. Topics discussed included the American Civil War, Harriet Beecher-Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s
Cabin”, and the Civil Rights Movement
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‘NEW SINCERITY’ IN CONTEMPORARY
AMERICAN LITERATURE
The fiction of David Foster Wallace, Dave Eggers and
Jonathan Safran Foer represents a new trend in American
literature. ‘Post-postmodernism’ and ‘New Sincerity’ are
just two of the labels that have been attached to this trend.
What makes their work stand out in the contemporary
literary landscape? And what is it that connects these
novels?
This course, taught by Allard den Dulk of Amsterdam
University College, focused on the way these novels
portray contemporary Western existence and its pitfalls.
Excessive self-reflection and endless irony pervade the
everyday reality of Western culture in general, and
American fiction in particular. The result is on the one hand
(self-)alienation and loss of meaning, but at the same time
these novels also embody a search for sincerity,
commitment and communion with others – in brief, for the
virtues needed to achieve a meaningful existence in
today’s Western world.
Individual sessions focused on addiction in Wallace’s
magnum opus Infinite Jest (1996), responsible action
in Dave Eggers’ second book You Shall Know Our
Velocity (2002), and community in the works of Jonathan
Safran Foer. Participants were able to register for
individual sessions.
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MEMBERSHIPS
SPONSORS &
SUPPORTERS
As a nonprofit organization, the John Adams Institute has
been ahead of its time in the sense that, ever since its
launch in 1987, it has depended mostly on the private
sector for funding.
This year we benefited from a number of private - and
public -sector supporters. Also this year we received a very
generous donation from the Holland America Friendship
Foundation.
The John Adams
Institute is an ANBI
(Algemeen Nut
Beoogde Instelling).
Donations are tax
deductible.More
information at:
www.anbi.nl
CONTRIBUTIONS
per calendar year
Sponsors
Corporate Member
John Adams Family
Friends
Patrons
Member
€ 20,000
€ 10,000
€ 2,500
€ 1,000
€ 80
€ 45
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Becoming a Sponsor or Friend of the John Adams Institute
brings a company or individual with an interest in the United
States into an eclectic community, which includes corporate
executives, politicians, entrepreneurs, writers, artists,
journalists, professors and publishers. Indeed, our audience
and network of supporters include people of
accomplishments that rival those of our speakers.
Many times a corporation will approach us asking to
sponsor an individual event; this gives them a large block of
seats and the chance to use a reception with the featured
speaker as a special occasion for their members or
customers.
We would like to welcome our new corporate members in
2015: The Andaz Hotel and Clifford Chance. We also
warmly welcome Getronics as one of our new main
sponsors for 2016.
For a complete list of our Sponsors & Friends for 2015 see
page 52.
49
EXTEND YOUR FAMILY
The John Adams Family is a small circle of individuals who share interest in original thinking from the US. Our
Family offers unique opportunities to meet great thinkers personally in intimate settings.
Family members are invited to an exclusive annual ‘Family dinner’ with a prominent speaker. In addition, they receive
an invitation two or three times a year for drinks or a reception with a speaker. And as our family, they receive special
treatment with regards to tickets for all our events—small, large or sold out.
The John Adams Family is a growing community. With a contribution of 2,500 euros a year for five years, our Family
help foster the John Adams speakers program. Great Minds for Great People and a lot of substance.
______________________________________________________________________
STICHTING NEW ANGLE
We wish to thank Stichting New Angle, and in particular Ian Kantor,
Mary Lou Collins and Han Bongers for their generous help in shaping
the John Adams Family and for sharing their time and expertise with
us.
Photo: Family event with Garry Kasparov
2015 FAMILY EVENTS
23 June – The John Adams Institute and AEGON hosted a
special event at the Mauritshuis in The Hague. We
hosted American author Nina Siegal, author of the
novel The Anatomy Lesson, based on the famous painting
by Rembrandt. Siegal was joined by a panel of experts
including Emilie Gordenker, director of the Mauritshuis.
Following the event in the auditorium we hosted a reception
in the Gouden Zaal of the Mauritshuis, as well as a reading
by Nina Siegal in front of the actual painting The Anatomy
Lesson.
3 September – Hosted at the home of Family members
Beth Johnson and Jan Kat, novelist T.C. Boyle discussed
his new novel The Harder They Come and was interviewed
by another Family member, Kristine Kohlstrand. Family
members got the chance to personally interact with Mr.
Boyle over dinner and drinks.
11 December – Chess grandmaster and political activist
Garry Kasparov. Hosted at The Merchant House, an art
gallery owned by Family member Marsha Plotnitsky. Mr.
Kasparov was very generous with his time; after a lecture
and Q&A with NRC journalist Michel Krielaars, he chatted
with Family members and gave them the opportunity pick
his brain on both his stand on Russian politics and his
career as a chess grandmaster.
51
Sponsorship
___________________
MAIN SPONSORS
______________________
CORPORATE MEMBERS
________________________
ADDITIONAL SUPPORTERS
HAFF
Holland America
Friendship Foundation
52
Publishers and Other Supporters
___________________
PUBLISHERS
______________________
PARTNERS
________________________
VENUES
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MAKING IT
HAPPEN
Staff
Tracy Metz
Maarten van Essen
Yara Deuss
director
program director
event coordinator
Volunteers
Tom van Arman
David von den Driesch
Gabrielle Grow
Heather Gould
Hannah Huber
Ellen Kroese-Kane
Gerard Kroese
Dominique Lampers
Henri Mathon
Catherine Mills
Susan Nicolas
Arno Peeters
Shekhar Pula
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The West-Indisch Huis
Where Amsterdam Meets New York.
In 1987 became the home and the
symbol of the John Adams Institute
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Interns
Many thanks to our
wonderful interns Renee de
Groot and Marleine van de
Lagemaat.
55
Board of Directors
Ruth Oldenziel
Chairwoman
Pim Roest
Treasurer
Martine Bijkerk
Secretary
Carien van der Laan
Please find biographies of our
boardmembers on www.johnadams.nl/about-us/board/
David Vermijs
Many thanks to Chris Kijne
who left the board of the John
Adams Institute in 2015 after
serving for 9 years. We are
thankful that we can welcome
him back regularly as
moderator of our events.
Truus Valkering
Eelco Bosch van Rosenthal
56
Publicity
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Posters
Flyers
Website
E-cards
Advertisements
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Uitmarkt
The John Adams team at the 2015 Uitmarkt
57
Attendance 2015
#
date
Invitations
Members
Patrons
Discounts
Non member
Free
Other
29
24
3
10
6
5
8
85
2 26-Feb Bill Browder
52
56
9
21
72
19
23
252
3 7-Mrt
40
33
9
5
24
4
21
136
4 21-May Laszlo Bock
52
57
9
17
126
15
19
295
5 28-May Jerome Karabel
53
38
9
19
47
9
17
192
6 2-Jun
Leslie Jamison
15
32
2
2
24
0
17
92
7 8-Jun
Senator George Mitchell
20
32
2
13
18
70
21
176
8 16-Jun
Michelle Miller
6
22
0
0
0
1
21
50
9 4-Sep
T.C. Boyle
22
166
0
0
0
4
25
217
10 24-Sep Noah Charney
37
40
7
4
30
18
136
11 19-Oct Jonathan Franzen
63
85
23
16
245
7
23
462
12 26-Oct Nialll Ferguson
34
77
12
12
79
3
23
240
13 6-Nov
18
55
0
0
90
11
16
190
14 10-Nov Buffy Wicks
38
100
0
0
0
0
12
150
15 13-Nov Laird Hunt
11
4
2
7
7
4
12
47
16 15-Nov Marilynne Robinson
17
42
4
2
72
5
18
160
17 16-Nov Robert Putnam
29
83
14
80
236
17
22
481
18 12-Dec Garry Kasparov
54
93
18
33
191
10
18
417
1 14-Jan
authors
Jennifer Lawless
Anthony Doerr
Kenneth Cukier
TOTAL
58
In the press
59
Copyright The John Adams Institute 2016