democracy & terror

Could democracy be the ultimate antidote to terrorism? In the face of violence, how should democratic values be put into action? openDemocracy writers present their views - join the conversation in the forum to add yours.

This debate is an extension of arguments presented by openDemocracy in the run up to the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security, held in Madrid in March this year. To access the online forum discussion from this earlier period of debate, which is hosted on the Summit site, please click here.

Thursday 7th July

The London bombs, five years on: a digest

David Hayes, 7 July 2011

The coordinated bomb-attacks on London’s transport network on 7 July 2005 (“7/7”) left dozens dead and hundreds wounded, and marked the lives of millions in the city and beyond. The political, intellectual and security issues raised by the event were extensively discussed on openDemocracy in the ensuing months. A retrospect of unforgettable days, by David Hayes.

(This article was first published on 7 July 2010)

Wednesday 31st March

Victims of the bulldogs under that carpet

Maxim Kantor, 31 March 2010
In Maxim Kantor’s opinion, the 39 deaths in the Moscow metro bombings on 29 March are victims of that fight between bulldogs under the carpet, as Churchill described Russian politics. The victims are always the poor, never the bulldogs. And guess who gains by the tragedy?
Thursday 11th March

Spain's politics of memory

Guy Hedgecoe, 11 March 2010
The Madrid train-bombings on 11 March 2004 provoked a dignified outpouring of collective grief. But the moment was soon reclaimed by Spain’s enduring political warfare over the national past, says Guy Hedgecoe.
Monday 18th January

I've turned 25, uh-huh. Wish me luck…

Anastasia Baburova, 18 January 2010
The blog of Anastasia Baburova, budding journalist - murdered in Moscow  
Monday 19th October

Abductions and disappearances in the Philippines

Mark Dearn, 19 October 2009
The west looks away, observes Mark Dearn
Thursday 12th March

Who'll stop the rain?

Swetha Regunathan, 12 March 2009
Trapped in her Chennai home by torrential downpours and floods, Swetha Regunathan had no option but to immerse herself in the spectacle of the Mumbai attacks
Saturday 14th February

Can Pakistan learn from Obama's "age of responsibility"?

Syed Mohammad Ali and Pamela Kilpadi, 14 February 2009
Islamabad must not lose sight of the country's economic and social failings as it fights terrorism 
Friday 6th February

Pakistan's failed crackdown

Raja Karthikeya Gundu, 6 February 2009
Pakistan's promised campaign against Lashkar-e-Taiba has had little effect
Tuesday 27th January

Kashmir: the elusive peace

Ravinder Kaur, 27 January 2009
In the wake of the Mumbai attacks, New Delhi is in no mood for compromise.
Thursday 18th December

The "new violence" of Mumbai

Ashwani Kumar, 18 December 2008
The recent terrorist attack in Mumbai is not a continuation of politics by other means, but part of an exclusivist, modern project that sees human freedom as superfluous.
Thursday 11th December

The neo-Taliban: a year on

Antonio Giustozzi, 11 December 2008
The success of a reinvigorated Afghan insurgency guarantees that 2009 will be another tough year of combat, says Antonio Giustozzi.
Wednesday 17th September

India’s urban war: through the smoke

Ravinder Kaur, 17 September 2008
A global narrative of Islamist violence risks missing the local dimensions of India's insecurity
Monday 7th July

British Muslims and the Muslim Council of Britain: the next decade

Yahya Birt, 7 July 2008
A rising generation will take Muslims' post-7/7 intellectual ferment forward, testing institutions

Letter from wounded London

Isabel Hilton, 7 July 2008

The bombs of 7 July 2005 wounded London. Our first response warned of damage to democracy too (archive)

Tuesday 10th June

Guantánamo: the inside story

Isabel Hilton and Clive Stafford Smith, 10 June 2008
The legal and human context of the US Supreme Court's landmark verdict (archive)
Thursday 29th May

The mufti and the general: lessons from Somalia

Ram Manikkalingam, 29 May 2008
When to talk to political and violent extremists, and who should do the talking?
Tuesday 27th May

A democracy of suspicion

Dejan Djokic, 27 May 2008
A university colleague's arrest over downloaded research materials reflects a climate of fear
Tuesday 11th March

From the shadows: Spain’s election lessons

Ivan Briscoe, 11 March 2008
A cautious left outguns an intransigent right - just. Now it faces an even bigger political test
Friday 8th February

The Other’s new face: Austria, the Habsburg empire and Islam

Paula Sutter Fichtner, 8 February 2008
Two great states and empires confronted each other across boundaries of imagination as well as arms between the 14th and 17th centuries in Europe. As conflict receded so the vision of the enemy changed. How did this happen, and what are the lessons for today, asks Paula Sutter Fichtner. 
Thursday 7th February

What kind of country?

David Hayes, 7 February 2008
A Christian leader in a multicultural land endorses sharia law. But why not go further - and give Muslims a parliament? (archive) 
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