In the past weeks, thousands of people have protested in different cities across Russia against the pension reform plans announced by the Kremlin. The protests climaxed on September 9, the day of the regional elections, with nationwide rallies called for by opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who himself had been put in jail just two weeks beforehand. Protesters at the rallies, held in 33 cities, shouted slogans like ‘Putin is a thief’ and ‘Away with the tsar.’ State police arrested, sometimes violently, and jailed more than 1,000 people, of whom 452 in St Petersburg alone. While protests in Russia are not uncommon, it seems that this time they have the Kremlin worried and looking for ways to win the public back.
Op 18 september, in de PAX Vredesweek, organiseerde PAX in samenwerking met SES (studievereniging Europese Studies) een conferentie rondom de vraag: ‘Hoe stoppen we het bloedvergieten in de Donbass?’
Deskundigen uit verschillende regio’s in Oost-Europa en de Westelijke Balkan waren voor het evenement samengekomen om concrete oplossingen te bedenken voor het conflict in Oost-Oekraïne. Hun bevindingen presenteerden ze in de avond op de miniconferentie.
Between the 28th of August and the 2nd of September a delegation of the Dutch Labour Party, Foundation Max van der Stoel and the European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity, headed by Member of the European Parliament Kati Piri, visited EU aspirant countries Kosovo and Macedonia.
It's UN week in New York City! That means: Heads of State and Heads of Government from almost all the countries in the world visit New York to join the General Assembly of the UN. This 73rd session of the General Assembly opened on the 18th of September and lasts until the 5th of October. Besides everything going on in the buildings of the UN itself, there are many side events in the city. Including the "UNited for a different migration" conference, organized by the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), of which FMS is a member.
Migratie is van alle tijden en kan niet worden gestopt. Op zijn best kan het worden beheerst. De EU ziet ongeregelde migratiestromen als een van de grootste uitdagingen in haar bestaan. Wij hebben een aantal uitgangspunten opgesteld waar een eerlijk migratiebeleid aan moet voldoen.
Last week, on September 6, Clingendael organized the debate “Refugees in Lebanon: despair or perspective?” at Humanity House in the Hague, to present and discuss their recently published report on the issue of refugee protection in Lebanon. Relevant as the topic is, a small FMS delegation also attended this event. After a short introduction by the Institute’s general director Monika Sie, moderator Saskia Baas, head of the Durable Solutions Platform in Amman, introduced the two authors of the report, Clingendael senior research fellow Ana Uzelac and research fellow Jos Meester. What followed was a discussion of the report by its authors and the moderator.
In his annual Direct Line on Thursday, June 7th, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin dedicated four hours to addressing complaints, questions and concerns by Russian citizens on live television. The questions were submitted on a rolling basis per text message, through the website moskva-putinu.ru or on live video call, and were aired on screen. As opposed to the previous years, the Kremlin decided to not include a live audience, but instead to expand in regards to ministers and governors who were put on conference call in relevant matters. The Direct Line is a carefully mapped out event, allowing no room for improvisation, and every step is carefully staged to achieve a goal. Thus, certain aspects that may seem unpredicted to viewers serve a clear purpose. Overall, various aspects of the Direct Line formidably show that Putin is pursuing a new strategy to place himself at the front of his government, and the format of the show is arguably a tool to achieve the goal of both uniting his people and improving his image among youth and critics.
Op 19 juni vond het rondetafelgesprek over de beleidsnota 'Investeren in Perspectief' plaats in de Tweede Kamer. Een dynamische groep van bedrijven, ondernemingsorganisaties, ngo's en professoren spraken met Kamerleden over het nieuwe beleid van minister Kaag voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking (BHOS). Ook de FMS was aanwezig en luisterde aandachtig mee vanuit het publiek. Het gesprek bestond uit drie rondes waarbij de verschillende groepen hun gedachtes over de beleidsnota konden uitspreken, en inhoudelijke vragen van de aanwezige Kamerleden beantwoorden.
In Nederland is de recente politieke omwenteling in Armenië grotendeels uit het nieuws gebleven. Hoogste tijd dus om de recente gebeurtenissen een beetje uit te diepen. En wat is daar beter voor dat een Politiek Café? In een goed gevuld Humanity House organiseerde de FMS op 25 juni een zeer interessante avond vol met sterke analyses, aangrijpende verhalen en muzikale hoogtepunten. Onder het toeziend oog van moderator Arjen Berkvens kwam de zaal meer te weten over de revolutie.
