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NL Europe wants companies to protect people and the environment, but is Germany standing in the way today?
Germany continually delays final approval of the European Care Obligation Act, despite having a negotiated deal in place. Criticism and outrage in Brussels at the unusual prevarication. The bill from Labour Party MEP Lara Wolters should oblige European companies to prevent human rights violations and environmental damage within their value chain. An important step within the European [...]
China's growing influence in Europe's backyard
Photo: Construction of a bridge over the Morača Valley, Montenegro, as part of the Bar-Boljare highway - Wikimedia Commons China has been pushing for some time to become the new global superpower. The Belt and Road Inititave been part of this expansion drive. China is keen to expand its global footprint and [...]
Review "Foreign Aid and its Unintended Consequences" by Dirk-Jan Koch
In his new book, Professor Dirk-Jan Koch presents a new take on foreign aid: identifying unintended consequences, both negative and positive. A successful attempt, argues Bram van Leeuwen, but stronger systemic criticism is needed. With the provocative title "Foreign Aid and its Unintenteded Consequences", Dirk-Jan Koch called on interested parties to take a [...]
Frozen Russian assets: where are they and what should be done with them?
Ever since the first months of the war in Ukraine, many, including Ukrainian authorities, have advocated the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's reconstruction. In practice, however, this wish has been hard to realise, including in the Netherlands. Indeed, freezing Russian assets is anything but smooth, and deploying [...]
Security in the Sahel: More soldiers or more development aid?
Photo: MINUSMA troops in 2018 (source: Flickr) In recent years, there have been coups in several countries in the Sahel. At the same time, a UN peacekeeping mission has failed and the security situation of the population is deteriorating. Less emphasis on military means and a renewed focus on development cooperation may offer a solution. In late July this year, a coup [...]
Uganda's extreme anti-lhbti law: Is the West part of the solution or the problem?
Photo: Yoweri Museveni, the President of Uganda. Via Wikimedia Commons In late May 2023, Uganda introduced one of the most extreme anti-LGBTi laws in the world. Now, more than four months later, the disastrous consequences of these measures are becoming increasingly clear. In response, several international sanctions have been imposed and the Constitutional Court of [...]
'Public speaking and negotiations' training in Armenia
A training for young people on 'public speaking' and 'negotiations' took place on Saturday 21 October in Yeghegnazdor, Armenia. This training is part of a series of five trainings in different Armenian provinces, organised by the SD Platform Armenia with the support of FMS. Engaging a new and [...]
African climate summit: much-discussed carbon credits are not a panacea
Photo: Attendees at the African Climate Summit in Nairobi - Flickr / Paul Kagame This month, African Union members met to form a common position on climate policy ahead of COP28. Carbon credits were a focus point. Governments see a lot of potential in this system, but there are many legitimate criticisms. [...]
The Netherlands and feminist foreign policy: opportunities for progress
Photo: Ministers Wopke Hoekstra and Liesje Schreinemacher, Wikimedia Commons In 2014, Sweden became the first country in the world to implement feminist foreign policy (FBB). Several countries followed, and on 13 May 2022, Minister Wopke Hoekstra (CDA) and Minister Liesje Schreinemacher (VVD), also announced that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was going to explicitly commit [...]
Niger coup shows: fairer policies to Africa are needed
Photo: Wikimedia Commons The Nigerian presidential guard detained democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum on 26 July, only to launch a military coup. In a television broadcast, senior officers from various branches of the defence and security forces announced that they had formed a junta. A Nigerian army spokesman shared, "The defence [...]
