Greek elections 2012 | openDemocracy

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

- Walter Benjamin, 1936

In crisis-ridden Europe, euroscepticism is the new cultural trend

Christos Papanikolaou 10 October 2012

As the euro crisis becomes increasingly inextricable, European solidarity erodes. What if the new cultural common denominator between northern and southern Europe was contempt for the Union?

Greece: Syriza shines a light

Hilary Wainwright 29 August 2012

Like a swan moving forward with relaxed confidence while paddling furiously beneath the surface, Syriza, the radical left coalition that could become the next government of Greece, is facing enormous challenges calmly but with intensifed activity.

Open letter to a good friend and colleague

Yanis Varoufakis 28 June 2012

... who happened to become Greece’s Finance Minister yesterday…

Renegotiating Greece

Alexios Arvanitis 23 June 2012

All leaders have to present any negotiation outcomes in terms of benefits for their constituents rather than the ways in which justice or solidarity are served.

“Syriza is the expression of a new radicalism on the left”: excerpt of an interview with Stathis Kouvélakis in late May

Philippe Marlière 19 June 2012

The rise of Syriza is a profound transformation for a radical left that is still traumatized by the defeat of Greek communism in the last century. This radical left now wants to break with its position of being eternally in the minority - a force dedicated to nothing but “resistance”.

Grammars of enmity: a Golden Dawn of contemporary Greek democracy?

Salomi Boukala 18 June 2012

Far right groups like Golden Dawn are not a new phenomenon in Greek society, nor do they derive from the consequences of today’s financial crisis. The roots of fascist groups are to be found in an old tendency to rely on the vilification of a political enemy to rule.

Greek populist parties and the disoriented mainstream

Aristotle Kallis 18 June 2012

The results of May's legislative elections in Greece may derive from the degree of public anger at the EU-IMF rescue package. Nevertheless, immigration was featured very prominently in party programs and public discourses as the main security concern – a trend not limited to the radical right.

Greek election result: an assessment

Yanis Varoufakis 18 June 2012

The New Democracy party will lead the government even though it is utterly clear that at least one in three of the voters who backed it think very little of the party but felt they had no other option. This is as inauspicious a beginning for a new government with a mountain range of challenges as one could have imagined.

After the Greek election

Vassilis K. Fouskas 18 June 2012

Whatever the case, one thing is certain: Syriza will further increase its voting power.

The extinction of the Greek dinosaurs?

Takis S Pappas 11 May 2012

The collapse of the two formerly dominant Greek parties, PASOK and New Democracy, has left a gaping void in the center of the political competition space waiting to be filled by liberal forces.

Athens shows the way

Vassilis K. Fouskas 7 May 2012

The Greek people have delivered an unmistakable verdict: out go the ruling incumbents. Greeks have opted instead for radical parties that best express their class interests and social values.

Ungoverned Democracy: Greece after the elections

Iannis Carras 7 May 2012

The results of the elections have brought an end to the post-Junta era in Greek history dominated by New Democracy and PASOK. But if this is a vote for something new, it is by no means clear what this "new" will be.

Feeling lost

Vassilis Mourdoukoutas 6 May 2012

On the eve of the elections, a Greek voter contemplates his choices in a ‘liquidified’ country.

Tributaries of the right

How did right-wing populist parties change our self-conceptions in Europe?

Euro: Writing on the wall?

Our debate about the euro and the euro zone crisis.

Europe 2.0

Debating the promise and pitfalls of new forms of governance for Europe 2.0

Ash Amin and Pep Subirós' June 2012 guest week on reinventing democracy in Europe.

Reclaiming democratic demands from the populists
JORDI VAQUER

Reinventing the left

How should the left respond and adapt itself to the new challenges in Europe?

A selection of our best articles on Europe.

There and back again? Media freedom and autonomy in Central and Eastern Europe

Václav Štětka

Can Europe make it? Editors

Rosemary Bechler is Editor of openDemocracy

David Krivanek is Editor of Can Europe make it?

Francesca E.S. Montemaggi is Associate Editor of Can Europe make it?

Spotlight on Cyprus

A selection of our best articles on Cyprus.

Previously: Italy | Rebuilding Greece | The Icelandic Experiment | Spain and Catalonian independence

Elections 2013

What to expect from European ballot boxes in 2013?

From Murdoch and Berlusconi to the new Hungarian media law, the media is the first theme of our new Joining the dots series.

Building a common foreign policy in crisis Europe: mission impossible?

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Highlights

Thinkers from across the continent respond to Etienne Balibar's call to build a more democratic, more equal and more social Union.

Europe after Europe: the other Europe in waiting
Niccoló Milanese

Our authors debate the murky past, stormy present and uncertain future of the Eurozone.

The Eurozone crisis: no way back
Georg Vobruba

Editors' blog

Latest updates from Esplanade, our editors' blog.

German Europe

In their new pamphlet on Europe's 'Reluctant Radicals', experts from the Counterpoint group explore the cultural conditions that have enabled populist forces to emerge (or fail to emerge) in many European countries.

Mary Kaldor’s team at the LSE, working with partners across Europe on new political parties and public protests, finds that these phenomena share not only opposition to austerity, but also frustration with politics as usual. The team reports in a series of articles for Can Europe make it?

Drifting apart?

Are Britain and the rest of Europe on two irreconcilably different courses?

Inter Alia

Markha Valenta's column on religion, politics, culture.

Europe at a glance is a collection of visual thoughts on Europe and where it is heading - if anywhere.

"Italia, sveglia!" Basta con la Gerontocrazia!
Tjebbe van Tijen

In this editorial partnership, experts from the Oecumene project at the Open University explore the ongoing redefinition of citizenship - in Europe and beyond.

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