“Only war makes it possible to mobilize all of today’s technical resources while maintaining the property system.”

- Walter Benjamin, 1936

About Magnus Nome

Magnus Nome is Editor-in-Chief of openDemocracy. Before he joined oD in June 2012 he was Editor-in-Chief of Teddy TV in Oslo. A writer, journalist and broadcaster in both TV and radio, he studied Media Studies at University of Westminster. He has worked with independent production companies in Norway, creating content across a wide variety of subjects, including science, politics, religion, minority issues and culture for NRK1, Kanal24 and RadioNorge, and is the co-author of Siffer, a book on mathematics. Twitter: @magnusnome

Articles by Magnus Nome

We did it!

Magnus Nome 28 March 2013

Thank you to all of you for helping us reach £250,000 - openDemocracy will stay open!

Less than ten thousand to go

Magnus Nome 20 March 2013

There is less than £10,000 to go in our campaign to keep oD open. With the reminder of openDemocracy's early foresight on the Iraq war, our Editor-in-Chief asks you to walk with us over the finishing line.

Where are the openDemocracy readers?

Magnus Nome 13 March 2013

In the latest campaign blog, our Editor-in-Chief gives a shout out to our readers no matter where they are and asks you to consider supporting us or nudging a friend to do so

Thank you for getting us halfway there - only £24,000 to go

Magnus Nome 27 February 2013

Our Editor-in-Chief opens our campaign blog and pays tribute to the magnificent response so far to #KeepODopen

Keep openDemocracy open

Magnus Nome 19 February 2013

openDemocracy needs your help to survive. We have to raise £18,000 by March 31 – if we don’t, we will have to close.

A convenient "tie"

Magnus Nome 1 November 2012

A tie that isn't quite what it seems, and a US election sideshow: pundit gut v nerd calculator.

Heartfelt rationality

Magnus Nome 1 October 2012

The side effects of good intentions and tolerance can be more suffering. We must let our hearts set our goals, but use the mind to pursue them. Our Editor-in-Chief reflects on rationality and the fallout of a TV-series.

Trilogy of tragedy

Magnus Nome 1 September 2012

Three texts taken together invoke Norway’s darkest day in peacetime.

Sports for people who don't like sports

Magnus Nome 12 August 2012

With the selection of the politically extreme Paul Ryan as his VP candidate, Romney will energize Obama’s base as well as his own, making it a watchable race for those who enjoy political blood sports.

The death of a controversy?

Magnus Nome 1 August 2012

Non-news about a "controversy" on life support, an inconsequential U-turn and the unfortunate fact that schadenfreude won't save the climate.

Notes from the Editor-in-Chief

Magnus Nome 23 July 2012

Our Editor-in-Chief launches a new front page feature. His first note reflects on Norway's past year and the need for eternal vigilance both against online hate speech and the new manacles on internet freedom in the pipeline.

A message from the new Editor-in-Chief

Magnus Nome 28 May 2012

If we want a functioning democracy and to understand what goes on behind the scenes we need places like openDemocracy. Our new Editor-in-Chief thanks all our contributors and asks for your support.

Why let facts ruin the story? Norwegian comments on US coverage of the Norway terror

Magnus Nome 8 August 2011

Instead of getting the facts, the US media seemed most concerned making reality fit their pre-fabricated narrative.

This week's editor

Niki Seth-Smith is a freelance journalist and co-editor of OurKingdom.

Europe from the bottom up

European Union stars in Paris. Flickr/notarim. Some rights reserved.

A new Europe can only come from the bottom up
Etienne Balibar

A social Europe must be a political Europe
Bo Stråth

As Europe is provincialized: a reply to Etienne Balibar
Sandro Mezzadra

European debate

A republican call for a basic income
Daniel Raventos and Julie Wark

Nuclear non-proliferation

oDRussia at journalismfestival .com

Mali - the plot thickens

Remote control war

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Conference coverage from 50.50

Conference. Moving beyond Militarism and War to a Nonviolent World: A Forum Devoted to Sharing Women-Driven Solutions

Articles exploring the themes of the fourth international Nobel Women's Initiative conference May 28-31. Jennifer Allsopp and Heather McRobie will be reporting for 5050

Cities in Conflict

Half-capacity Jordan: whose stories do we need?
Munir Atalla

Madeleine Rees

The incompetent many or the corrupt few?

Grigorii Golosov

Women and the language of peace protest

Ruth Rosen

"I protest": challenging the war policies of the United States

Ann Wright

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James Warner Standing Perpendicular, as books do

Markha Valenta Inter Alia: religion, politics, culture

Paul Rogers on Global security

Mary Kaldor on Human security

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Italian triple whammy

Best of the rest:

Arab Awakening | Can Europe Make it? | Drug and Criminal Justice Policy Forum | OurBeeb

OurKingdom

About us
OurKingdom works to investigate and illuminate the crisis of democracy in Britain and analyse how its failings can be redressed.

We encourage original debate untrammelled by party political loyalties.

We ask how we as citizens can secure liberty, human rights, self-government and real democracy. ...more on OurKingdom

Pick of the debates: Democratic Wealth: building a citizens' economy, edited by Stuart White, uses republican theory to explore ideas around how to democratise the economy. Co-hosted with Politics in Spires, a blog sponsored by the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

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50.50 Dialogues

About 50.50
50.50 is openDemocracy's section dedicated to exploring issues of gender equality and social justice at the global level.

We are committed to promoting human rights and inclusive democracy through dialogue and debate. But a global debate without the female half of humanity is neither global nor democratic. With this in mind, 50.50 publishes women's analysis, insight and views on current affairs.

Can Europe Make It?

Spread the word

Spread the word is a brand new section of openDemocracy's not-for-profit web platform.

This space is for other not-for-profit organisations of all kinds to publicise your activities and spread the exchange of ideas.

You will be able to link to all your publications, and events anywhere in the world. You will have your own openDemocracy page and all new announcements will be ticker-taped to our front page.

This organisation subscription is available for a modest annual fee, dependent on the size of your organisation.

Please contact Jonathan Bowles at supporters@opendemocracy.net if you are interested in joining.

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We are grateful to the following organisations for their support in developing this initiative:

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Arab Awakening

In the months following the start of the Arab Revolutions, articles and analysis poured into openDemocracy from contributors across the Middle East and Europe. Gradually, the impact of Tahrir Square began to extend well beyond the Middle East as democratic inspiration travelled from east to west. Arab Awakening tries to capture that inspiration and use it to help us read a rapidly changing world.

"As students of politics is it is vital to study the power of imagination." -Professor Charles Tripp, SOAS

Debates