openDemocracy

Japan, the earthquake and the media

The worst disaster in Japan since the second world war hit the country's north-east coastal region on 11 March 2011. The combination of tsunami and nuclear crisis presented the media with great practical problems and ethical concerns. Wataru Sawamura, an experienced journalist with the leading newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, reflects on how he and his colleagues sought to fulfil their professional responsibilities as the tragedy unfolded

America after Iraq-Afghanistan

Paul Rogers

Washington's military withdrawal from Iraq and problems in Afghanistan are forcing a change of strategy. Barack Obama's political fate will determine how far it will go

Year two of the Arab revolutions

Volker Perthes

The uprisings across the Arab world are becoming more complex and variable as they enter their second year. This makes it all the more important to identify their main dynamics, says Volker Perthes

Putin, Russia, the west: beyond stereotype

Fyodor Lukyanov

A four-part BBC series on the Putin-Medvedev years has been scorned for its supposed flaws. Instead it should be praised for its professionalism, says Fyodor Lukyanov

The Left and Israel: a tortured path

Colin Shindler

The attitudes of the political left, including left-wing Jews, to Israel have varied greatly across the state's six decades. Loyalties acquired before or independent of Israel's foundation - to the Soviet Union, or to the idea of revolution - have often played a part in shaping them, says Colin Shindler

Colombia, a state of flux

Adam Isacson

A decade of violence and insecurity has deeply marked Colombia's society, politics and institutions. If the current signs of fragile progress are to be consolidated, the country’s beleaguered yet independent justice system will have a vital role to play, says Adam Isacson

Syem Saleem Shahzad: death of a journalist

Nick Fielding

The Pakistani journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad made both friends and enemies in the course of his detailed reporting of Islamist groups and insurgencies in the country. An official report on his abduction and murder in May 2011 may leave key questions unanswered, says Nick Fielding, but read carefully and in context it brings the truth of his end closer

Saturday 11th February

Meet the new boss in Ireland

John Phelan, 11 February 2012

That’s how democracy works between the EU and Ireland. The EU and its servants in the Dáil either give the Irish people too many votes or none at all.

Ragip Zarakolu, human rights symbol in modern Turkey

Bulent Gokay, 11 February 2012

Turkey will become a real global power only when the high level of its economic progress is matched by a strong, stable and functioning democratic system.

Open the prison gates to literacy

John Podmore, 11 February 2012

Fairness, justice and common sense demand government commitment to reading and writing in prison

Japan, the earthquake and the media

Wataru Sawamura, 11 February 2012

The worst disaster in Japan since the second world war hit the country's north-east coastal region on 11 March 2011. The combination of tsunami and nuclear crisis presented the media with great practical problems and ethical concerns. Wataru Sawamura, an experienced journalist with the leading newspaper the Asahi Shimbun, reflects on how he and his colleagues sought to fulfil their professional responsibilities as the tragedy unfolded.

Friday 10th February

Localism and the web: a new era for England's democracy?

Gavin Barker, 10 February 2012

Local English democracy may look endangered, but new technologies are revolutionising the way we perceive our communities and take collective decisions.

Tempest in Islamabad

Farah Jan, 10 February 2012

Since the start of the year, civil–military relations have taken a nosedive in Pakistan, with no recovery in sight, and with each side threatening serious consequences. What are the chances of a coup?

Putin, Russia and the West: beyond stereotype

Fyodor Lukyanov, 10 February 2012

Yesterday saw the final episode of ‘Putin, Russia and the West’ aired on BBC2. The four-part documentary has attracted a huge amount of criticism — yet most of it has been undeserved, says Fydor Lukyanov. Those who watch the films with an open mind will see they contribute much to our understanding of recent political history, in particular the phenomenon of Vladimir Putin.

Syem Saleem Shahzad: death of a journalist

Nick Fielding, 10 February 2012

Whose network?

James Butler, 10 February 2012

Reflections on Paul Mason's new book, 'Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere'.

Prime Minister as a mid-career job: what consequence for Britain?

Trevor Smith, 10 February 2012

The office of Prime Minister, once the apex of a political career, has become a stepping stone for a new generation of ambitious young politicians.

Democracy in Pakistan: a wolf in sheep's clothing

Shazad Ali, 10 February 2012

In Pakistan, the west has always turned a blind eye to the civilian deployment of all the ingredients of dictatorship.

Land grabs: the threat to African women’s livelihoods

Kathambi Kinoti, 10 February 2012

Despite the African Union's commitment to strengthening women's access and control of land by placing land rights in the public domain of human rights, it is silent on the issue of land grabs. This is a gap that the AU's land policy framework needs to plug, says Kathambi Kinoti

Confronting prejudice with charm: migrants in the UK

Nazek Ramadan, 10 February 2012

"We know it’s not easy to confront the tabloid press. We know we’ve taken on a huge challenge; we may make it; we may not. But as migrants, we must deal with it". This is why 100,000 copies of a free newspaper written by migrants will be distributed across the UK next week, says the paper's editor Nazek Ramadan

Thursday 9th February

Pavement injustice: the tyranny of on-the-spot fines

Josie Appleton, 9 February 2012

What does it mean for justice in Britain when criminal offences that were once tried in a court room are now dealt with on-the-spot, with the supposed 'offender' unable to argue their case?

Proxy wars: could the US end up supporting al-Qaeda-like groups in Syria?

Ahmed E. Souaiaia, 9 February 2012

Syrian state-controlled media blames most of the deaths on armed groups (which it calls terrorists). These allegations have awakened Russia’s dormant–but not forgotten–memory of the Saudi-American alliance that created the Mujahidin networks in Afghanistan, which in turn defeated the Soviet Union.