I have returned to the UK for a few days, and the experience has been intriguing. Each time I visit the UK, it feels like a completely different country compared to the Netherlands, where I now reside. The Dutch are predominantly Christian, with one in six having some form of ethnic heritage. In the Netherlands,…… Continue reading Have a Very Merry Muslim Christmas
The Football World Cup: A World in Qatari Hands—Not Quite!
The Football World Cup in Qatar started after a long build-up, and a lot of attention has been paid to issues such as the exploitation of migrant workers, corruption caused by working with and through FIFA to make this event happen, and worries about how Qatar treats people with different sexual orientations. Even though the…… Continue reading The Football World Cup: A World in Qatari Hands—Not Quite!
Rishi Sunak anointed as Prime Minister
After a brief period of party political manoeuvring, Rishi Sunak has been announced as the leader of the Conservative Party, which will make him the prime minister of the country. This came after former Prime Minister Liz Truss had to step down after 44 days in power. Sunak will be the third prime minister in…… Continue reading Rishi Sunak anointed as Prime Minister
Ruminations-is out now
The publisher asked me to offer further details about my upcoming book, which will be released later in 2022. The book’s overview is as follows, but I will also use this chance to share my answers to the author’s marketing in order to highlight a little more about what the book is about; Ruminations comprises social…… Continue reading Ruminations-is out now
The Radicalisation Process
Paper presented to the panel, Terrorism Threat Assessment Radicalisation/Deradicalisation Pathways, at the Regional Conference on Enhancing Resilience Against Violent Extremism Among Migrant Workers in Southeast Asia, convened by the United Nations Office of Counterterrorism, National Counter Terrorism Agency (Indonesia), and Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jakarta, Indonesia, 4–5 October. Many thanks indeed…… Continue reading The Radicalisation Process
Putin’s war on the West
Ukraine is a proxy for so much more than just this war. There is a deep history to consider — going back to the cold war, going further back to the idea of a greater communist Russia, its Great Game with Britain and Iran to dominate the Caucuses, and even further back to the idea of Kievan…… Continue reading Putin’s war on the West