De Facto

Floor Koomen

Articles

The Impact of War

This is Anaik Gevorkyan and her husband Azat. In the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War they were forced to leave their home in Lachin, a town in the strategic Lachin corridor, connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Documentary photographer Valery Melnikov is nominated with this image for the World Press Photo of the Year 2021.

Floor Koomen | 30 Mar 2021

Analysis Transnistria

A Hammer, Sickle and a Red Square

As of this year, the Dnister Moldavian Republic, aka Transnistria, has existed for thirty years. In 2000, four stamps were issued to celebrate its ten year anniversary, with plenty of references to a Soviet past.

Floor Koomen | 23 Dec 2020

Long read Liancourt Rocks

Stamps on the Rocks

Stamps are a great way to assert territorial aspirations over a contested place. Simply by showing your position on such a (tiny) official seal, the claim is legitimized and affirmed. This can be done in a number of ways, one of which is annexing the territory on the map. This is a story of how stamps can be the cause of a diplomatic riot.

Floor Koomen | 24 Jan 2019

Asia
Stamps