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In De onvoltooide rechtsstaat (The Unfinished Rule of Law), published on 4 June 2025 to mark his retirement from the Dutch Supreme Court, Ybo Buruma offers a sweeping yet pointed dissection of the Netherlands’ legal journey—and its current disintegration. Part historical reflection, part polemic, the book contends that the Dutch rule of law, once a source of pride, is now under threat from populism, political short-termism, and the perilous belief that majority rule is justice enough. ...

The idea that land is a “God-given” right has been the ultimate trump card for rulers, conquerors, and elites for centuries. Whether through feudal oaths, biblical covenants, or nationalist manifestos, the claim of divine or hereditary entitlement has shaped empires, sparked wars, and left millions dispossessed. This article traces how these narratives evolved—from medieval Europe’s fiefs to the Zionist Promised Land, from the Doctrine of Discovery to modern ethnonationalism—and asks: who really benefits from heavenly real estate deals? ...

Under cover of darkness on 9 June 2025, the Madleen—a modest British-flagged aid ship carrying baby formula, rice, and medical supplies—found itself surrounded by Israeli naval forces some 100-160 km off Gaza’s coast. The activists onboard, including Greta Thunberg and French MEP Rima Hassan, had hoped to draw attention to Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. Instead, they got an up-close demonstration of Israel’s naval blockade enforcement. Footage shows the group—calm but determined—raising their hands as Israeli commandos boarded, their life jackets serving as unintentional symbols of how perilous compassion has become in these waters. ...

Humanity has always stared into the void and asked, “Why are we here?”—usually followed by, “And who’s responsible for all this?” Whether whispered to trees, inscribed in sacred texts, or processed through quantum servers, the search for meaning has been relentless, imaginative, and often contradictory. What follows is a sweeping tour through the shifting landscapes of belief—from stone age spirits to silicon soulcraft. Along the way, we explore not only what people believed, but how those beliefs evolved, adapted, and occasionally exploded in dramatic fashion. ...

You’ve spotted a cheap Android tablet or TV box online, taken by how cheap it looks—until you plug it in. Now, interred in its firmware, there’s malware. Not something you can remove, because it’s buried beneath the operating system. This is BadBox: a class of threats embedded in devices at the factory or during shipping. It isn’t just an app you can delete; it’s pre-installed, hidden in the firmware, and ready to phone home as soon as the device connects to the internet. ...

Europe’s most successful failure The cigarette stands as Europe’s most paradoxical public health achievement - a product so lethal it would be banned instantly if invented today, yet so entrenched we’ve normalised its 700,000 annual deaths. That lit cigarette transforms into a miniature chemical factory producing 7,000 compounds - including 70 known carcinogens - because apparently variety isn’t just life’s spice, but its premature ending too. Tar performs its grim alchemy, transmuting healthy lungs into something resembling a Victorian industrialist’s handkerchief. Carbon monoxide clings to haemoglobin with the desperation of a Brexit negotiator clinging to sovereignty fantasies, starving tissues of oxygen. Yet despite these horrors, Europe treats smoking with the resigned tolerance of a long-suffering spouse - we know it’s bad, but the divorce would be so messy. ...

An uncomfortable truth: Every byte uploaded to AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud isn’t just data—it’s cloud capital. Coined by economist Yanis Varoufakis, the term captures how tech giants transform your digital activity into privatised infrastructure. It’s not merely about hosting files; it’s about hoarding power. And right now, the United States holds the keys, turning Europe into a lodger in its digital manor. But there is an alternative: cloud-on-prem—a return to digital self-sufficiency—and European providers like Hetzner, who offer control, compliance, and a way to starve the beast. Think of it less as going backwards and more as refusing to pay rent to your colonial landlord. ...

The idea that creatures—humans included—are governed by hardwired instincts is a comforting one. It suggests order, predictability, and perhaps even an excuse for that inexplicable urge to hoard snacks. But biology, as usual, refuses to play along neatly. Instead, we find that so-called “instincts” are often more like rough drafts, heavily edited by experience, environment, and even the ghostly hand of epigenetics. The myth of the unshakable instinct Take parenting. The “maternal instinct” is often invoked as if it were a biological mandate, yet plenty of first-time mothers (and fathers) report feeling like they’re winging it. Turns out, they are. Primates, including humans, learn childcare by watching others. Even rats, those paragons of instinct, improve their mothering skills with practice. Meanwhile, in the insect world, honeybee larvae fed royal jelly become queens, while their pollen-fed siblings become workers—proof that even rigid caste systems are just a meal plan away from flexibility. ...

Welcome to Fungolia—a fictional European nation best known for producing bureaucrats with severe stationery addictions, national holidays dedicated to committee meetings, and the invention of the “Mutually Suspicious Cooperation Accord” (which mostly involved not poisoning each other’s water supply). In Fungolia, difference isn’t just tolerated—it’s enshrined in law, embossed in gold, and swiftly ignored in practice. This article is about unity. Not the fluffy kind that fits neatly on a banner at a protest you forget to attend, but the kind you earn by wading through the muck of genuine difference. In a Europe increasingly divided by wealth, history, ideology, and the collective trauma of having to agree on cheese standards, the idea of unity can feel more like a punchline than a plan. ...

Meet the key players Benjamin Netanyahu – Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, now in his sixth term, is a master of political survival. His current tenure is propped up by far-right allies, a necessity given his ongoing corruption trials (fraud, bribery, and breach of trust). His primary objectives are maintaining power, weakening the judiciary to shield himself from legal accountability, and balancing the demands of his extremist coalition partners while attempting to project an image of statesmanship to the outside world. ...