How a democratic tool became a threat to democracy
For decades the Dutch political party Democrats ‘66 campaigned for the introduction of a referendum as part of…
Manipulating a vote, Dutch referendum-style
The Netherlands is preparing itself for a political novelty: on April 6, for the first time in history,…
Voting “no” in Dutch referendum means abandoning Eastern Ukraine
Two months to go until the Dutch referendum on the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union.…
Ukraine is really changing
One of the sayings the Romans used was “mens sana in corpore sano”, meaning “a healthy mind in…
Dutch referendum blessing for Putin’s “useful idiots”
For the past twenty-five years I have been working in Ukraine, mainly in the field of mental health…
Ukraine as a theme for Dutch populist politics
It definitely was not the most pleasant sight, watching how MP Oleh Barna grabbed Prime-Minister Yatseniuk by the…
Psychiatric hospitals – a yet untouched corner of post-Maidan Ukraine
These are eyes I will not forget for many years to come: the sad eyes of men and…
Putin and history – a dangerous combination
Step by step the edifice of Putinist version of Russian history is starting to show itself, the ultimate…
With Dutch referendum, Ukraine becomes a tool of populist politics
Political life in The Netherlands has been in crisis for the past fifteen years, yet the other day…
When will Soviet psychiatry finally disappear?
In December of this year it will be 35 years since a group of human rights activists, psychiatrists,…
Putin has not won – the world has lost
The last days of September 2015 will go down as a turning point in history. Vladimir Putin visits…
Viktor Orban’s short memory
In November 1956, one of the largest exoduses of refugees on European soil since the Second World War…
The trauma of war
In her late teens, my sister had a pen pal in the United States, a sort of “long…
Is Putin normal?
Over the past year many people have approached me, both in private and in public, with the question…
