The Protests As Israel marks its 75th anniversary, the atmosphere is filled with unrest and polarization. Earlier this year, protesters flooded the streets of Israel. The demonstrations continued for weeks, their numbers swelling to half a million in a nation of nine million people. The images are striking: demonstrators amass in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem…
Turkey-Syria Earthquake: The Shock was just the Start.
Earlier this month, an earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. It had a magnitude of 7.8 and has claimed the lives of over 45,000 people accordingly to recent estimates, with many more injured or missing. The crisis was exacerbated by the freezing temperatures that afflicted those stranded outside or trapped beneath the rubble. What happened?…
U.S. Midterms: The Red Wave that Wasn’t
U.S Midterms: The Red Wave that Wasn’t The U.S. midterm elections took place a month ago. This race determined the makeup of the next Congress and concerned 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, as well as 36 state governorships and state-specific ballot initiatives. We will discuss what the midterms are, the results, why the Red…
Italy’s Elections: The rise of the far-right and what it means for Europe
Italy’s Elections: The rise of the far-right and what it means for Europe Why are Italy’s elections gaining so much media attention? The outcome of Italy’s 2022 parliamentary elections received considerable global media attention. Naturally, an election that installs a new government is significant for any country; in this case, it is especially of interest…
On Energy
On Energy As Europe is bracing itself for a hard winter, little is said of the fact that the burden will lie disproportionately with the people least able to deal with it. While the student population is heterogenous, on average student incomes are lower and thus energy makes up a larger share of students’ spending…
Your Guide to the Laureates of the Four Freedoms Awards 2022
By Charlotte Vreden Every year the Four Freedoms awards are given to inspiring people and organisations from across the globe. The laureates have demonstrated their bravery and commitment to the principles proclaimed by Franklin Roosevelt in his Four Freedoms speech. They will be awarded this year in Middelburg on the 21st of April. For Franklin…
Time To Compromise: The Ukraine Crisis
By Charlotte Vreden Last semester, I wrote an article discussing the main points on the Nord Stream 2 project, which would ensure more efficient transport of natural gas from Russia to Europe. Now, with the Ukraine crisis sparking speculations about another war and politicians’ incompatible differences, it seems like it will take a long time…
Listen To The MAPA: Myrto and Heleen on COP26
By Charlotte Vreden *This interview was spoken. The quotations given are verbatim from the voice recording from the interviewees. From October 31st until November 12th, global leaders and other parties gathered to bring climate change back to the table on the 26th annual summit: COP26. Whilst inside the conference discussed the future plans concerning the…
The Tigray Conflict: What is Happening in Ethiopia?
By Charlotte Vreden Recently, Ethiopian Authorities declared a six-month state of emergency in Ethiopia, bracing as Tigrayan rebels advance and calling for citizens to take up arms to defend their capital: Addis Ababa. But who are the Tigrayans and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), and what are the consequences of the government’s recent actions?…
The Island Jail – Rohingya in Bangladesh
By Charlotte Vreden Until recently, thousands of Rohingya refugees have been living in the largest refugee camp in the world: Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. However, since December 2020, the Bangladesh government has moved nearly 20 thousand Rohingya refugees to the remote Bhasan Char Island, despite protests from refugees and human rights groups comparing it to an island jail. A leaked copy of a UN agreement…
The AUKUS Élite
By Charlotte Vreden With the trilateral security pact between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, Australia finds itself in the noble company of an exclusive and elite clique of other cool nations, only to realize the harsh laws of popularity. Now, this could be a summary of what happened during the past weeks, but…
Nord Stream 2: Russia’s Leverage Over Europe?
By Charlotte Vreden A few days ago, the Russian pipelaying vessel ‘Fortuna’ welded the final pipe of the Nord Stream 2 project in the Baltic Sea. This project is highly debated among politicians in Europe and America. Nordic Stream 2 is a 10 € billion project of a new gas pipeline stretching from Russia to…
Starting a Master’s program during a pandemic
By Anna Szczełkun It’s a busy time for last semester students. Many of us are in the process of applying to different master programs to continue our educational path. However, the decision of starting a Master’s right away may not be as obvious to everyone. With corona taking away big pieces of the university life, some…
Child marriage Crisis during COVID-19
By Anna Szczełkun Girls married at a young age are significantly more prone to experience abuse and far less likely to stay at school. It also increases the risk of early pregnancies, which poses a grave health risk for mothers in developing countries. According to the UN, 12 million girls under 18 get married every year….
The Eating Disorder That No One Talks About
By Anna Szczełkun The first time that I heard about it, it was in a random YouTube vlog. The information itself wasn’t the topic of the video, it was entangled somewhere in the middle of the vlog between some kitchen advice and a description of what the YouTuber did that day. But it caught my…
4 Random Good Things That Recently Happened Around the World
By Anna Szczełkun As the semester is coming to an end, and we are all dying from the finals, we do not need any additional depressing or complex things to read (or to write). So I decided to shortly tell you guys about 4 cool things that have recently happened in 4 different parts of the globe….
Fighting two epidemics at once: Opioid crisis in the US
By Anna Szczełkun Opioids are a class of drugs that comes from poppy plants and affects a specific receptor in the brain. The history of opioids goes way back, and we have evidence of poppy plants used a couple of thousands of years ago. Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians used it as a painkiller, but also…
Mothers Or Not
By Lucia Bertoldini Controversial topic alert! The other day, in the midst of my -rather desperate!!- research for an anthropology paper, I came across an interesting article by The Guardian. The author was talking about the implications of the USA abortion legislation, in which the States recently had signed a document known as the Geneva Consensus…
What’s Up With Poland? – A Report From The Front
By Anna Szczełkun Poland is experiencing the largest protest since the fall of communism in 1989. Tens of thousands of Poles are on the streets, and not only in the major cities, but across the whole country, and they are furious. As a person born and raised in Poland I can’t stop thinking: how did…
Celebrating Women’s Health Awareness
By Karina Bukuri It is the first day of breast cancer awareness month and the first time I am celebrating. Being 19 and diagnosed with a non-cancerous breast tumor really changes something in you, it sorts of shifts your perspective on things. By saying this, I don’t mean the dramatic, ‘I think I am gonna…