Author: Maarten Van Den Driessche
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Democracy Needs Informed Citizens, Not Merely Persuasive Leaders
A powerful speech can fill a square. A memorable slogan can win an election. A confident politician can make complicated problems sound remarkably simple. But none of these things guarantees good government. Democracy asks something more demanding of us: the ability to judge what we hear. We often discuss democracy through its leaders. Who won…
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Wadi Do’an: Yemen’s Valley of Mud-Brick Villages and Honey
There are places that look impressive in photographs, and then there are places where photographs never quite explain what it feels like to actually be there. Wadi Do’an belongs firmly in the second category. Hidden in the vast landscapes of Hadhramaut in eastern Yemen, this spectacular valley is surrounded by steep canyon walls, ancient villages…
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Fly Baghdad Is Back: The Iraqi Airline Returns to the Skies
After more than two years on the ground, Fly Baghdad is flying again. The privately owned Iraqi airline resumed commercial operations on 20 September 2026, operating its first returning service between Baghdad and Istanbul. The flight marked an important comeback for an airline whose future had appeared highly uncertain only a few years earlier. From…
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Ciudad de La Paz: Equatorial Guinea’s New Capital
For decades, Malabo was the capital of Equatorial Guinea. Located on the island of Bioko, far from most of the country’s continental territory, it was one of Africa’s more unusual capitals. But in January 2026, Equatorial Guinea officially entered a new chapter: Ciudad de La Paz became the country’s new capital. On 2 January 2026,…
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Airport Malaria: When a Tropical Mosquito Arrives by Plane
Malaria is normally associated with tropical and subtropical regions. Mention the disease and most people think of sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Asia or remote areas of Latin America. But very occasionally, malaria comes to you. A mosquito carrying the malaria parasite can board an aircraft in an endemic country, survive the flight and emerge thousands…
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Airbus A350F: The A350-1000-Based Freighter That Could Transform Air Cargo
For years, Airbus has dominated parts of the passenger widebody market with the A350 while Boeing has remained the far stronger name in dedicated large freighters. The Airbus A350F is Airbus’ attempt to change that balance. Sometimes informally described as an “A350-1000F” because it is heavily based on the A350-1000, its official name is simply…
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Kazakhstan Is More European Than You Think
Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country. Open a map, however, and you will find that it does not fit entirely within Asia. The Ural River runs through western Kazakhstan and is commonly used as part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. By that definition, the land west of the river is European Kazakhstan. It…
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The Saudi Arabia–Jordan Land Swap: How Jordan Traded Desert for Red Sea Coastline
That shape is not accidental. In 1965, Jordan and Saudi Arabia redrew their border in one of the Middle East’s lesser-known territorial exchanges. Jordan gave up more land than it received, but what it gained was arguably much more strategically valuable: additional coastline around Aqaba. A border inherited from an earlier era The frontier between…
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The 1956 Malta Integration Plan: When Britain Offered Malta a False Equality
In 1956, Britain put forward an extraordinary proposal for Malta: instead of becoming independent, the island would be integrated into the United Kingdom. On paper, it sounded like a remarkable offer. Malta would supposedly become part of the British political system, while retaining its own Parliament and responsibility for most domestic affairs. Britain would provide economic…
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The Zagros Mountains of Iraq
Stretching across the eastern part of Iraq, the Zagros Mountains form one of the country’s most spectacular natural landscapes. Rising from broad valleys into rugged limestone peaks, the range creates a dramatic contrast with the plains and cities of Mesopotamia. The Iraqi Zagros are particularly prominent in the Kurdistan Region, where mountains, valleys, rivers and high plateaus shape…