FMS receives Georgian opposition leader: 'This is a crucial moment'
"This is a crucial moment for Georgia" The FMS received Georgian opposition leader Anna Dolidze this week and spoke to her at the Lower House. Anna is the party leader of "For the People" and part of the "Strong Georgia" coalition. Every day Georgians take to the streets for fair elections, human rights and an EU future. Support from the Netherlands [...]
Cut back on democratisation? Don't do it!
Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp in debate, Lower House (Source) The Schoof cabinet has big intentions in the field of defence and aid to Ukraine - billions in investments should bring the Netherlands up to the level of the NATO two per cent standard. This was voted on at the Foreign Ministry's budget hearing last week. On [...]
The bustling activities of the FMS
As the FMS we support people in their quest and journey towards and with social democracy. Throughout multiple events we have been able to connect with our partners and participants in a wonderfully wide range. This past weekend, the FMS organised five events focussed on supporting social democratic movements with our partner parties. One of [...]
A moment of silence for the victims of the railway station disaster in Novi Sad, Serbia
On 1 November, the roof of a train station in the Serbian city of Novi Sad collapsed, killing 15 people and seriously injuring two. Remarkably, this train station had been renovated only four months before the collapse. It suggests that this was not only a tragic accident, but also a failure of the responsible authorities. The [...]
Afghan guards are left to their own devices after all
Photo: Afghan guards in Uruzgan - Flickr The cabinet has decided not to secure Afghan guards who protected the Embassy in Kabul and the military base in Uruzgan in the Netherlands. The former Afghan guards are at risk in their home country due to their cooperation with a foreign government since the Taliban regained power [...].
Elections in Georgia: Fundamental Rights Under Pressure
This article was originally published on the website of the PvdA Pink Network On Friday 25 October, the FMS, Foundation Max van der Stoel, together with the Pink Network of the PvdA and WECF organised a political café on the important Georgian parliamentary elections that were about to take place the next day. The café was about democracy, the [...]
Opinion: Even if relocation of the Dutch embassy to Jerusalem does not go ahead, damage has already been done
Former Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in Jerusalem - ANP / EPA This opinion piece originally appeared in the Volkskrant Contradiction, chaos, contradiction, and fierce (internal) discussions are by now familiar to our current cabinet. The cabinet's decision, at the insistence of PVV leader Geert Wilders, to remove the Dutch embassy in Israel [...]
Choosing between Moscow and Brussels: an analysis of the Georgian parliamentary elections
Photo: Georgian flag - Flickr On 26 October, Georgia will hold its next parliamentary elections. This will take place against the backdrop of some controversial bills recently passed. For instance, on 17 September, the Georgian parliament passed a law officially banning any form of LGBTQ+ representation. In addition, earlier this [...]
Demonstration in Brussels: Freedom for Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski and all other political prisoners in Belarus
For three years, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski has been innocently imprisoned in Belarus. On 25 September, in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Brussels (Belgium), Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights (Libereco) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) urge his release and that of all over 1,300 [...]
Religion and Russian Identity: Implications for Ukraine
The Kubinka Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, source (Wikimedia Commons) This article was written by one of our guest authors and published in English. Would you also like to contribute to the FMS with your analysis on international politics and democratisation? Mail your submission to info@foundationmaxvanderstoel.nl In recent years, the interplay between religion and nationalism [...]