George Papandreou, today with a majority in the Greek parliament, talked to Anthony Barnett in December 2004 as he set out to transform Greek politics

New readers start here! Citizens’ hunger for a new relationship with power needs a new process to satisfy it. What could that be? David Hayes maps an evolving openDemocracy debate.

As popular movements sweep much of the world, the term “civil society” can be heard on many lips. Michael Edwards of the Ford Foundation has written a short book on the three meanings of the concept. Neera Chandhoke, from New Delhi, casts a sceptical eye over his argument.

The traditional political party is dying. Can it reinvent itself in a way that matches transformations of society, technology, and personal identity? Paul Hilder draws on global democratic experimentation to present a vision of the political party for an age of “open politics”.

The former Irish president and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, now architect of the Ethical Globalisation Initiative, talks to openDemocracy about the 21st century human rights agenda – one that connects universal principles to the daily lives and needs of the world’s poorest people.

The future of Europe will be decided in the Balkans, says the former Swedish prime minister and international envoy to Yugoslavia. He demands leadership and support to bring the region into the European fold and heal its bitter legacies. But the Balkans’ deeper resources of diverse creativity also offer hopes, and lessons, for the 21st century world – and Iraq.