Ban social media for adults instead

Last month, a landmark law took effect in Australia: a social media ban for all children under the age of sixteen. The government’s argument is clear: social media is deemed

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Information Wars and the Erosion of Truth Diplomacy

The Quiet War for Credibility In international affairs, wars are no longer confined to territories or weapons. They begin with narratives, often before the first political move is made. The

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Concrete that Devoured Dreams

Was it a natural disaster, the one that affected 23 million people, or was it the government regulations? 6th of February 2023 04:17:35 TRT… Funeral prayers echoing from mosques amidst

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Candance Owens and the making of Charlie Kirk’s “whodunnit” mystery 

The new right, the new Qanon?  Rian Johnson’s Knife’s out third instalment has found an unlikely competitor in Candace Owens’ podcast. Since the death of Charlie Kirk, American political commentator

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A case for income-based fines

A €170 fine can ruin someone’s month or barely register at all. If punishment depends on income, can flat fines ever be fair? And who do they actually deter? About

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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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Sacrifices made for organising climate summits

The cost of hosting COP30 in Belém The UN climate summit that took place this November was hosted in Belém, a city surrounded by the Amazon rainforest. The previous Conference

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Justice: one war crime at a time

‘I don’t give a sh- what you call it’ – Vice President JD Vance Since 2nd September 2025, the USA has conducted seventeen airstrikes against alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats. As

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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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