We were told it’s a former KGB prison. A fortress, used by the Soviet Secret Service until the end of the breakdown of the east bloc. I expected a cruel

Throughout the last months, and especially during the last weeks Turkey was back in the centre of deliberations among EU head of states. Mainly because of the ongoing migration via

Genocide. A word that triggers intense emotions. A word with some of the strongest connotations, comparable to rape, enslavement or torture. Genocide is the bad stuff, the one crime, especially

Dear faithful Checks Community,  Twelve days left until Christmas, but obviously we could not care less about Christmas, this commercialised and old-fogyish tradition of giving and receiving presents – so materialistic –

A few days ago my esteemed colleague Rosa published the first part of the interview we conducted with Dr. Bob Reinalda, a considered expert in the field of international organizations.

When I heard the breaking news about a bombing of a hospital in Kunduz yesterday, I immediately thought of a suicide bombing, of an “act of terror” how it is

Summer break is over but let’s hope nice weather will stay with us for some more days. Students float into Groningen again. Some of them for the first time, scurrying

Whenever we discuss the evolvement of the European Union it does not take long until someone mentions the achievement of the four freedoms – free movement of goods, services, workers

Every minute a child dies of Malaria. Every year nearly one million people die because of the tropical infection which is one of the deadliest diseases of our time. Just

Yesterday, Swiss police entered a luxury hotel in Zurich and arrested seven high functionaries of FIFA, among them two vice presidents of the organization, Jeffrey Webb and Eugenio Figueredo. The