Nikolaos van Dam (born April 1, 1945, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands) is a Middle East scholar, former Dutch Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Indonesia, and author. Van Dam studied Political & Social Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, including International Relations and History of the Modern Middle East, as well as the Arabic Language and Islam, graduating cum laude in 1973 with the degree of Doctorandus (Drs) of Political & Social Sciences.
He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Literature at the University of Amsterdam in 1977, after successfully defending his thesis on The Role of Sectarianism, Regionalism and Tribalism in the Struggle for Political Power in Syria. He taught Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Amsterdam (1970–75).
He speaks Arabic, Dutch, English, French, German and Indonesian.
Books
- The Struggle for Power in Syria: Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba’th Party, Fourth Edition, London & New York (I.B. Tauris), 1979, 1980, 1996, 2011.
- Al-Sira’ ‘ala al-Sultah fi Suriyah: al-Ta’ifiyah wa al-Iqlimiyah wa al- ‘Asha’iriyah fi al-Siyasah, First Authorised Electronic Edition, Jakarta, 2007. Published in two earlier editions in Cairo (Maktabat Madbuli), 1995.
- Suriye’de İktidar Mücadelesi, Istanbul (İlitişim Yayınları), 2000.
- De Vrede die niet kwam. Twintig jaar diplomaat in het Midden-Oosten, Amsterdam (Bulaaq), 1998 (& Jan Keulen). Also as audiobook and in braille, Nijmegen (Stichting Bibliotheek Le Sage ten Broek), 1998.
- Hulanda wa al-’Alam al-’Arabi: Mundhu al-Qurun al-Wusta hatta al-Qarn al-’Ishrin (ed.), Lochem (De Tijdstroom), 1987.
- Nederland en de Arabische Wereld: van Middeleeuwen tot Twintigste Eeuw (ed.), Lochem (De Tijdstroom), 1987.
- De Rol van Sektarisme, Regionalisme en Tribalisme bij de Strijd om de Politieke Macht in Syrië (1961-1976), PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam, 1977.
Click here for all his articles in this website.
