Belgium’s queen Mathilde is one of 17 global sdg-advocates. What motivates her to engage with these sustainable development goals? Where did it all start? And what does she hope to achieve? These are only a few questions that got answered during a long afternoon, in an exclusive interview MO* had with the queen.

The Pakistani diaspora and friends of Asma Jahangir gathered in Brusels, at the Asia Platform, on March 26th, to reflect on the live, the struggles and the continued importance of Asma Jahangir. Ceciel Shiraz Raj worked for years with Asma. We publish his impassioned, personal and very relevant introduction.

The figures that Fost Plus, Belgium’s nationwide waste-buyer uses in the current debate about introducing deposit-fees are one big lie. Why is that? Fost Plus deliberately misinterprets the official figures of OVAM, the Flemish Government’s Waste Agency, claiming that disposable cans and bottles account for 10% of the litter, while it i ...

Jihadist propaganda on the internet is often seen as one of the main drivers for pushing young people into committing terrorist attacks. The reality is more complex than that. ‘People radicalise in different ways.’

To the vast majority of people, ultra-violent jihadist propaganda is neither convincing nor appealing. Yet Al-Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups seem to attract followers across the globe with gory materials showing graphic violence. The propaganda inspired thousands to leave everything behind for an uncertain life as foreign fighters in the wa ...

In their lives, these youngsters saw no other state leader besides Vladimir Putin. These are their life stories of poverty and exclusion. They are products of Russia’s turbulent past, and while they are powerless to shape Russian politics in 2018, they could grow into a force capable of shaping Russia’s future by 2024. ‘The real r ...

The presidential election campaign in Russia saw no real political competition. Putin’s only effective challenger Alexei Navalny was excluded from participation. But Navalny's “non-campaign” speaks volumes about the Russia Putin will lead over the next six years. MO* investigated Russia’s only real political campaign and wha ...

As a child, Jhumpa Lahiri often felt like an alien, both in Rhode Island and in Calcutta, the two pivotal places in her young life. Although the Indian-American writer has moved on since then, she says that ‘almost no day passes without me thinking: wouldn’t it have been nice to have one place of origin?’ A conversation about iden ...

The Financial Action Task Force, a global watchdog against money laundering and terror financing, has decided to put Pakistan in the “grey list” of the countries with deficiencies in Countering the Finance of Terrorism (CFT) and Anti Money Laundering (AML). The FATF shall formally announce this decision in June 2018 after receiving repo ...

‘When it comes to strategic storytelling, the Islamic State truly has been unmatched. Not only in terms of the quality of its output, but in quantity too.’

For the better part of a year, we dove into the dark world of ultra-violent jihadist internet propaganda. From the early video messages of Osama bin Laden to ISIS’ sleek cyber-propaganda offensive, it shows how a small contingent of technology savvy extremists has succeeded in waging a campaign of fear with global reach and consequences.  ...

She was personified defiance, courage, dedication, grace and dignity. Commonly seen as, the 'bravest of the brave hearts', she was called, 'Asian Hero' by Time Magazine and 'Pakistan's Aung San Suu Kyi' by Newyorker. She defied dictators, challenged mighty establishment, exposed secret agencies, antagonized extremist outfits and blasted patriarchal ...