By Caitlin Elston-Weidinger April 10th–just a month ago, stuck somewhere between apprehensive and unbothered–we were discussing the first two closures of the stock markets over a joint at Vondelpark, attending lectures with an air of hesitation over what was still only being fatefully understood as a Chinese or Italian problem.Continue Reading

By Tom Schulte In about a year, on the 17th of March, the Netherlands will have its next general election. This is, of course, if the current government does not fall prematurely. The cabinet of Rutte III started this political year very strong; it had managed to negotiate both aContinue Reading

By Juni Moltubak A simple explanation of Western pride and COVID-19 The Netherlands has been described as the weakest link in the chain of European resistance against the Corona-virus, and their modest approach resembles that of a number of other western-European states. This will have grave consequences, but not necessarilyContinue Reading

By Lea Schiller When China first reported the outbreak of a new variant of lung disease to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31st, the virus that has now become a household name—SARS-CoV-2, had already been on course for nearly a month. What followed were measures of unprecedented level:Continue Reading

By Alon Kuster With the rise of Eurosceptic parties, one may ignore the deficiencies in the European Union (EU) that prevent it from countering this rise. I believe that, in order to improve the EU, one must analyse these structural deficiencies. I recently read a book by former Greek FinanceContinue Reading

By Eugenia Valais and Ricardo Pereira Teixeira On Sunday 6 October, U.S President Donald J. Trump went against the recommendations of top officials in the Pentagon and the State Department by endorsing, via a phone call with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Turkish-led military operation in northern Syria.Continue Reading

Editorial In a crowded room, a mixed bunch of students were eagerly awaiting the panel discussion on Kashmir. The event, highly relevant due to the recent revoking of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, was the first academic event of the year for CIROS. Indian-administered Jammu-Kashmir, a contested area betweenContinue Reading