•   ×  Speakers of TEDxAmsterdam 2019

Bette Dam

The ability to uncover secrets better than the military

To dig up the truth we must accept less, and question more. Bette Dam, Dutch journalist & author,  wrote a book about one of the most mysterious people in the world of terrorism, Mullah Omar. By cross checking sightings and talking to different people on multiple occasions, she was able to identify the leader of the Taliban’s hideout. Something even the secret services were unable to dig deep enough to reveal.  Her ability to uncover secrets and identities that even the CIA couldn’t can be considered somewhat genius. It makes us question our approach to situations and question how a Western journalist was able to extract so much information just by the means of talking and interviewing. Approaching the Taliban is a task within itself, but not a task to deter Bette to keep on questioning. 

About Bette Dam

Bette Dam’s best selling book, Op Zoek Naar De Vijand, outlines how a trip to visit Dutch troops in Afghanistan back in 2006 enabled her to discover how little the military knew about their enemy. Provoking us to think how little we must know about our world,  our wars and our woes, especially if those considered knowledgeable know so little. Her book navigates around the clash in opinions of those close to the Taliban leader and uncovers idiosyncrasies regarding Omar’s position in the taliban. “The Taliban were not easy to speak to about the whereabouts of Mullah Omar. They were very secretive about it. Now I know why. They were actually hiding the fact that he had no influence.”

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  • Bette Dam
  • The ability to uncover secrets better than the military
  • The shortcomings of war reporting
  • TEDxAmsterdam Main Event
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