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NL Why the Netherlands avoids the debate on extreme wealth
Bron: Flickr Extreme welvaartsongelijkheid is slecht voor samenlevingen. Het zorgt voor minder vertrouwen in de overheid, minder sociale cohesie en meer risico op politieke beïnvloeding van politici door een kleine groep rijken. In Europa woedt hierover hevig debat, maar in Nederland lijkt dit nog weinig politieke invloed te hebben en wordt het weggezet als een […]
Drones, sanctions and responsibility: how Dutch technology ends up in Russian weapons
source: Wikimedia commons Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the use of drones has increased dramatically. Whereas unmanned aircraft were initially used mainly for reconnaissance, they have now become indispensable for attacks, artillery guidance and electronic warfare. The number of drones deployed has increased significantly, especially in the past year, with […]
We must help Ukraine win the war AND the peace
On 7 and 8 November, the Max van der Stoel Foundation co-hosted the first EU Ukraine Progressive Summit in Kyiv. We were there with a strong delegation from our political family to discuss Ukraine's future in Europe, social justice and a fair reconstruction of the country. See here the statement signed by [...]
Moroccan Gen Z demands change: from hashtags to street protests
Source Marketscreeners Moroccan Gen Z demands change: from hashtags to street protests There have now been demonstrations in Morocco for several weeks. Thousands of Moroccans are taking to the streets from northern Tangier to southern Agadir. The question that can be asked is whether the protests in Morocco are part of a global wave in which Gen [...]
In conversation about Disinformation in Election Time
This article was posted as part of our work in the Dutch Democracy Coalition. This project was created with support from Democracy & Media Foundation. Last Monday, 27 October, the Dutch Democracy Coalition (NDC) engaged with students and interested parties at VU University Amsterdam on disinformation, deception and the role of [...]
International Panel on Gender Equality with Songül Mutluer
The fight for women's rights is not over (by any means). For years, the champions of gender equality have been passing the relay baton to new generations of feminists to continue this struggle. At the PES congress in Amsterdam (16-18 October), a packed panel featured nine of the people who now hold such a relay baton. Among them also [...]
Europe watches Georgian regime use queer panic to shut down country
Photo: Shota Kinchi Queers, traitors, liberalism and Western warmongers - these four horsemen of an oligarch-created apocalypse now form the core of Georgian official ideology. Each has a purpose: queer panic to incite moral outrage, "traitors" to justify repression, and anti-Western rhetoric to undermine democratic aspirations and Moscow [...]
Europe's blind spot: political prisoners and hijacked courts in Georgia
(Source: Wikimedia Commons) Over the past decade, Georgia has undergone a quiet but profound transformation. The country, once considered a democratic frontrunner in the South Caucasus, is now facing an authoritarian backlash that threatens the foundations of its legal system. The ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), has not only consolidated its power through elections [...]
Syria at a crossroads: hope for democracy or a facade of elections?
Source: Pexels It has been over 10 months since the posters of former dictator Bashar Al Assad were torn down from the streets in the capital Damascus in celebratory fashion. After a gruesome 50 years under the dictatorial rule of the Assad family, in which hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been displaced, murdered, mistreated and scattered across several [...]
Survival by escalation: Dodik's illegal referendum in Republika Srpska
Source: Wikimedia Commons On 25 October, citizens of Republika Srpska (RS), one of the two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), will go to the polls for an unconstitutional referendum. The question put to them is strikingly worded: "Do you accept the decisions of unelected foreigner Christian Schmidt and the unconstitutional rulings [...]