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NL 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 [...]
Elections in Jordan: new reforms, anger over Gaza and economic concerns
Photo: cityscape Jerash, city north of Amman - Flickr On 10 September, Jordan held its first parliamentary elections since major reforms in the electoral system and also since the start of the current Israel-Gaza conflict. As a neighbouring country, Jordan has been diplomatic towards both sides, but the situation in the region has both social [...]
You cannot have your cake and eat it too: international law should not be applied one-sidedly
When Russian President Vladimir Putin was able to visit neighbouring Mongolia fearlessly on 3 September, despite the arrest warrant claimed against him by the International Criminal Court in The Hague over a year ago, the reaction of the Western world was furious. The United States, for instance, called on Mongolia to uphold international law at all times [...]
Outcry in Iraq: meeting rule of law and religion about to legalise child marriages
Photo: the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad - Flickr A new proposal for a law change in Iraq harbours the chance of legalising child marriages. It concerns the ''Personal Status Law'' No 188 from 1959 that regulates matters surrounding marriage, custody and general family law in Iraq. The proposed amendment to the law will require married couples to obtain a [...]
7 elections in three years: political divisions in Bulgaria
Photo: flags of the European Union and Bulgaria - Wikimedia Commons On 7 August, the Bulgarian parliament overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban "LGBTQ+ propaganda" in schools. The law bans any education that goes against so-called traditional sexual orientation. Submitted by the pro-Russian [...]
LGBTI inclusion in the Western Balkans on the agenda during EuroPride
Photo: Participants of the training by FMS, Rainbow Rose and Labour at EuroPride in Thessaloniki Although significant progress has been made on LGBTI+ rights in recent decades, the struggle for full equality remains an ongoing challenge. Discrimination, violence and lack of legal protection are still widespread in many parts of the [...]
Rivals Hamas and Fatah strike deal: what does it mean for Palestine?
Photo: Palestinian flags at the grave of Yasser Arafat, co-founder of Fatah - Flickr On Tuesday 23 July, 14 Palestinian parties, including the rival factions Hamas and Fatah, signed an important declaration of 'national unity' in Beijing. This agreement, which was brokered by China, calls for a unity government to rebuild Gaza [...]
New generation of young people at Summer School in northern Macedonia
In early July, the Max van der Stoel Foundation together with the Progres Institute organised the annual Summer School on Lake Ohrid in northern Macedonia. The 17th edition of this event was dedicated to recruiting a new generation of young political talent inside northern Macedonia. This is of great importance now that the Social Democrats in the [...]
