A 2003 broadcast from the program *Tegenlicht* concerning Max Kohnstamm, who passed away on October 20, 2010.

For a decade, the Netherlands had long been considered a leading innovative economy. However, in February, it was revealed that the country had slipped out of the top ten in the Global Competitiveness Report. Simultaneously, several univers…

In the conflicts of former Yugoslavia, the construction of images has been a significant factor. Does the narrative that has taken shape concerning the war – and the role of Slobodan Milosevic – accurately reflect reality? Director Jos De P…

In the Milosevic case, now ongoing for over a year and a half, the prosecutor for the Yugoslavia Tribunal has called over 250 witnesses. Despite this substantial number, critics maintain that Chief Prosecutor Carla del Ponte still lacks a s…

A decade after the dismantling of apartheid, progress in the empowerment of Black men in South Africa remains disheartening. In a society marked by economic hardship and limited opportunity, frustrated men often seek validation through viol…

The world runs on fossil fuels. Without oil, there would be no transportation, no large-scale agriculture, no manufactured goods. Yet geologists believe that oil reserves are dwindling, and soon will be unable to meet the ever-increasing de…

The world runs on fossil fuels. Without oil, there would be no transportation, no large-scale agriculture, no manufactured goods. But geologists believe that oil reserves are dwindling, and soon will be unable to meet the ever-increasing de…

What becomes of those individuals apprehended by the United States under its "war on terror" and incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay? BBC journalist Vivian White spent six months researching across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, speakin…

A double portrait of Wim Duisenberg and the European Central Bank. In the final six months of Wim Duisenberg's tenure as president of the ECB, *Tegenlicht* crafts a picture of the most powerful Dutchman in the world. Simultaneously, the doc…

Israel continues to construct its security barrier with relentless speed, aiming to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers from easily entering the country. The Palestinian opposition to this separation is unsurprising. Less well-known is the …

On August 19, 2003, a devastating car bomb detonated at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, claiming the lives of 27 United Nations personnel. This marked the first instance in the UN's history where the organization became the target of such a lar…

The compelling documentary *Checkpoint*, airing on Tegenlicht on November 30th, is considered a highlight of this year's International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Tegenlicht has selected the film for broadcast, a world premi…

The WAO, a Dutch disability scheme, frequently appears in the news. New measures are continually announced, driven by the need to reduce costs, address systemic flaws, and improve the quality of assessments – a recurring litany. Attention i…

The attacks of recent years, such as the one on a nightclub in Bali in October 2002 and the more recent assault on the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in July 2003, shocked the world. Indonesia had long been regarded as the land of perpetual smil…

This program recounts the story of perhaps the most peculiar election contest in history, one in which movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger ultimately prevailed. Documentarian Alex Cooke filmed the campaign from the moment Schwarzenegger announ…

*One Way Europe* follows the interwoven lives of a handful of farming families in the remote village of Budesti, northern Romania, for over a year. In the wake of communism's collapse, unemployment has become commonplace. For many, the only…

Still reeling from the recent shooting in Iraq, *Tegenlicht* explores the military perspective on notions of courage, cowardice, loyalty, and camaraderie, uncovering a compelling paradox: contemporary conflicts demand greater autonomy from …

Last May, the Dutch program *Tegenlicht* broadcast a documentary on The Carlyle Group, a prominent American investment firm. The broadcast sparked considerable discussion, and much has transpired since its airing. The ongoing controversy su…

On the morning of May 12, 2003, Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, was violently awakened by a series of explosions around midnight. The Al-Qaeda network had struck again, this time within its own borders. One of the targets was a residenti…

In 1999, the American multinational corporation AES Corp. acquired Telasi, a Georgian state-owned electricity distribution company. With this acquisition, AES-Telasi assumed responsibility for supplying power to the impoverished population…

The 1960s marked a significant shift in how we understood child-rearing. The authoritative household of that era has gradually yielded to the negotiating family of today. Parents are no longer the unquestioned authority figures within the h…

After years of a gentle, individualized approach to juvenile offenders in the Netherlands, a shift appears to be underway. At the forefront of this new strategy is Arjen Jonker, the controversial director of the Rijksinrichting Den Engh. He…

Social and cultural philosopher Ad Verbrugge argues for a fundamental rethinking of how we live. He posits that when nothing is earned with effort, nothing holds value. He characterizes the essence of our individualized society as: "The wor…

Each year, a few hundred Moroccans manage to reach the port of Marseille. They begin their journey in Casablanca, concealing themselves amongst cargo ships for the crossing. Three days with barely enough to eat or drink. But as soon as they…

As the inevitable re-election of Putin looms, Tegenlicht revisits his consolidation of power four years prior. The bombings of two apartment buildings in Moscow at that time engendered a state of emergency, allowing Putin to position himsel…

A year ago, the war in Iraq commenced, culminating in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime. With the dismantling of Saddam’s dictatorship, the international coalition, led by the United States, appeared to have secured an undeniable vic…

In 1994, a sense of optimism blossomed for the people of Haiti, who anticipated the end of the Duvalier dictatorship – the era of 'Papa Doc' and 'Baby Doc' – with the arrival of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as their new leader. Now, under conside…

People are increasingly wary of anything that demands a bit of effort. Universities, too, have succumbed to the current entertainment culture. They must be agreeable, accessible, engaging, and above all, enjoyable. This is how critic and es…

A palpable sense of anticipation has settled over Miami. Cubans who fled the island in the last forty-five years, seeking refuge from the socialist experiment, feel a renewed hope. The moment is near, or so they believe, the exiles in Miami…

Osama Bin Laden sits atop the list of most wanted terrorists. But who was this elusive, seemingly fragile man? In *Tegenlicht*, an encounter with those who knew him personally. People who worked with him, and shared his life.

Democracy, however, possesses its shadows, aspects rarely brought to light. Those who do so immediately face the charge of being out of step with progress. This implies that we can never fully grasp our own time. (Fareed Zakaria, *The Futur…

In the second installment of its series exploring democracy, Tegenlicht turns its attention to the United States.

A recent surge of accounting scandals – Enron, Worldcom, Ahold, Parmalat, Tyco, Shell, among them – shows no sign of abating. As *The Economist* notes, the chief executives of publicly traded multinational corporations are facing a difficul…

In the second installment of "Riverside Conversations," investors Jim Rogers and Marc Faber visit Antony Burgmans, CEO of Unilever and chairman of the European Round Table's "European Expansion" working group. The European Round Table is a …

The first of May on Riga’s Dom Square was a subdued gathering. Yet beneath this outward calm marking Latvia's formal entry into the European Union lies a powerful current of emotion – a need to reconcile with the past. The question of how t…

In the late nineties, Big Brother conquered the Netherlands, and subsequently, the world. Its success was unwavering. The format became one of the Netherlands' most significant exports. Producer Endemol, unafraid of experimentation, partner…

Last year, filmmaker Jos de Putter produced the notable two-part documentary "De zaak Milosevic" for Tegenlicht, focusing on the trial of Slobodan Milosevic. De Putter did not simply observe the controversial proceedings; he continued to do…

On the eve of the transfer of power from the Americans to the Iraqi interim government, *Tegenlicht* journeys back to the outset of the Iraq War. As the conflict looms, journalists cluster before the gates of the Arab news station Al-Jazeer…