Kick Out Zwarte Piet: A masterclass in activism

This year, activist group Kick Out Zwarte Piet abolishes itself. Symbolically, on the fifth of December, the official date of the national children’s festival of Sinterklaas. Over the past fifteen

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The cost of the sun disappearing 

The rays of the sun are far more than a simple provider of Vitamin D; they are there to pick you up after your worst shifts at work, or when

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Democracy.exe, Albania’s AI-Minister experiment

This article was written by guest contributor Ruben Snip, a 1st year IRIO student with a particular interest in cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence. ’The Constitution speaks of duties, responsibilities, transparency,

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HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE LINE: HOW AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES AND GERMAN POPULIST PARTIES THREATEN THE LIBERAL INTERNATIONAL ORDER

This article was written by guest contributor Anton Ruholl, and was originally written as an extension to his bachelor thesis. The Unsettling Alignment The so-called “forced labor” in Xinjiang is

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Understanding, not deterrence: A response letter to “End of the Beginning”

This article was written by guest contributor and former checks member (2022-2023) Paul Johann Lindhorst. In the new print edition of the “Checks&Balances” magazine, the author sincerely and seriously contemplates

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The Netflix show and the IRC 

Netflix’s Transatlantic explores how Varian Fry, Mary Jane Gold, and the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC) evacuated thousands of refugees from Marseille during World War II. Fry and Gold are two

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French language: from rise to decline

 Over the course of the 17th century, the French language became the primary language in the aristocratic and royal families of Europe. Although French is recognised by all as a

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Melting Mountains: Can the 2026 Winter Olympics Survive the Climate Crisis?

Introduction The 2026 Winter Olympics, prepared to take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, are being hailed as a return to Europe’s alpine sports legacy. However, they are facing

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Is ‘European-style democracy’ always the answer?

What is European-style democracy? When talking about European-style democracy, we are not referring specifically to the European Union and all its institutions, but rather to a set of standards and

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From rape to revolution

Although our daily news is consistently dominated by prominent figures such as presidents and their newest trade agreements, scientists with life-changing experiment results and athletes who have broken yet another

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