Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

Charlotte McDonald-Gibson is the author of 'Cast Away: True Stories of Survival from Europe’s Refugee Crisis', to be published in the U.S. by The New Press on Sept. 6

Recent Articles

What Life Is Like For Ukrainian Refugees Living on a Cold-War Era Gunboat

The repurposing of the boat to house 23 Ukrainians is part of efforts by the Netherlands to find beds for 50,000 Ukrainians

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson/Rotterdam

Ukraine Crisis Could Overhaul Europe's Asylum System

Ukrainian refugees have received a warm welcome in Europe. Could that help change the system for good?

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

Europe Sees a Migration Crisis in the Making in Afghanistan. Have the Lessons of the 2015 Surge Been Learned?

European diplomats and leaders greet the prospect of refugees with a mix of compassion and fear

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / The Hague

The Fight Over 'Black Pete' Brings a Reckoning on Racial Equality in the Netherlands

After a decade of work by anti-racism activists, the Dutch are finally rethinking their dedication to a blackface Christmas icon

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / Amsterdam

Healthcare Workers From Refugee Backgrounds Want to Help Fight COVID-19. One Man's Journey Shows How That Might Be Possible

A scheme to fast-track recognizing asylum-seekers' qualifications could enable thousands of refugees with medical expertise to help during the coronavirus pandemic

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

How Coronavirus Creates the Perfect Breeding Ground for Online Extremism

When Mak Kapetanovic reads people’s jokey tweets and Facebook messages about the prospect of self-isolation with overbearing relatives as COVID-19 traverses the globe, he wants to see the funny side. But mostly, he feels a...

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

Coronavirus Is a Critical Test for the European Union

When the clapping started, it was impossible not to feel moved. At 8 p.m. on March 17, people across the Netherlands leaned out of windows and congregated on doorstops to make a show of support...

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson/The Hague

Why the E.U. Is Doomed to Repeat the Mistakes of the 2015 Refugee Crisis

The children pacing behind bars or sleeping on the cold ground as the Greek winter ebbs into spring do not look like weapons. On the contrary, their faces tell of their innocence and need, victims...

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

DNA Tests Could Help a Father Find Out What Happened to His Wife and Kids. But Politics Stand in the Way

When Walid Khalil Murad drifts off to sleep, he can feel the warmth of his three small children in bed beside him. They are there in his dreams too, playing happily together. There is three-year-old...

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / The Hague

Europe's Greens Hope E.U. Election Triumph Will Be Turning Point for Climate Policy

The federation of national parties that focus on environmental policies surpassed all expectations in the Europe-wide vote

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / The Hague

Dutch Progressive Jesse Klaver Is Fighting for Europe's Soul

In the European Parliament elections on May 23, environment-focused parties like Klaver's want to challenge the rise of far-right populists

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

Trump Is Trying to Dismantle the World Order. Is NATO Next on His List?

"Friends and allies of the United States are wondering, who is the leader of the democratic world?”

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / Brussels

Can Better Policies Solve the West's Population Crisis?

The EU's average birth rate is well below what's needed to sustain a population

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson/Brussels

What Italy's Swing to the Populist Fringe Means for the E.U.

As well as being one of the six founding members of the European Union, Italy has traditionally been a beacon of Europhilia

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson/Brussels

The E.U. Agency Fighting Russia's Wildfire of Fake News with a Hosepipe

Inside the “David and Goliath struggle” between Russia's propaganda networks and a tiny E.U. agency

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

The U.K. Election Result Spells Bad News for the E.U., and Brexit

'It is to a certain extent a nightmare – the worst-case outcome'

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / Brussels

Fear and Frustration Continue One Year After Belgium's Worst Terror Attack

One year ago on Wednesday, I was at Brussels Zaventem airport having breakfast in a departure terminal when it became clear that something was terribly wrong. I didn’t hear or feel any blast, but suddenly...

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / Brussels

The Netherlands Warily Takes Center Stage as Election Nears

A tiff with Turkey comes days before an election that already has Europe on edge

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson / Kerkrade, The Netherlands

The Future of the European Union

As the dream of a united Europe turns 60, can the E.U. Escape the grave?

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson/The Netherlands

The Former Neo-nazi Helping Returning ISIS Fighters Let Go of Hate

Decades before ISIS existed and the term foreign fighters came to mean Western Muslims traveling to Iraq and Syria, a 15-year-old Italian-American kid from Chicago sat down and wrote a letter. Christian Picciolini had been...

By Charlotte McDonald-Gibson/Vilvoorde
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