“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”
- Bertrand Russell
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So the rockets have stopped in Gaza. But these events need to remain
tied to their historical context, says Eóin Murray; Israel is playing a long game. Martin Shaw sees them playing with fire, while our columnist Paul Rogers argues that, despite the close relationship between Israeli and US defence forces, regional politics are moving in favour of Hamas. Mohammed Suliman’s interview live on CNN was interrupted by a missile, and the ceasefire is discussed by Rob Prince and Mohammed S. Alnadi.
On openDemocracy last week the unfolding tale of Iceland’s innovative constitutional experiment is deconstructed by Thorhildur Thorleifsdottir, Kristinn Már Ársælsson looks at the lessons learned, arguing for randomly selected citizen assemblies, and we have an inside view from a former member of the Constitutional Council.
With just one week left until the US picks its President, openDemocracy
continues its series of global viewpoints on the election, How it Looks From Here.
There are two weeks left till the US elections, and openDemocracy launches its series, How it looks from here - perspectives on the American choice from across the globe - with voices from Russia, Greece and Cuba. In the US, Ruth Rosen looks at the key role of women in the elections, and Meredith Tax accuses the US anti-war movement of failing to develop a politics that is critical of both US imperialism and religious fundamentalism.
Is there another way forward for Europe? Mary Kaldor and Sabine Selchow introduce our theme of the week, looking at the continent’s Subterranean Politics. Its frustration and inventiveness are evoked by Geoffrey Pleyers; new ways of decision-making challenge German democracy and attract David Budde; the indignados inspire trade unions in Italy and in Spain; Hungarians are not alone in asking on whose side is the EU; and Londoners put the European back into their global city. The team mull over what they have found in ‘Re-imagining Europe’, while Sean Deel updates us on the first transnational direct democratic tool ever.
Public service health journalism is high on the agenda as Oliver Huitson's landmark investigation of the BBC's coverage of the Health and Social Care Bill continues to attract much interest, but small response from the BBC, while our Editor-in-Chief reflects on rationality and the considerable fall-out from his Norwegian tv series on alternative medicine.
A
week that saw the death of
the first person to set foot on the moon and the start of the
global Paralympic
games is a reminder of how far human
ingenuity and imagination can reach. OpenDemocracy
continues to ask whether these qualities can be applied to solving
shared, collective problems
-
from extremist
violence in Norway and conflict in Syria to corruption in Russia
and
childbirth
mortality in Chad.
Analysis,
empathy and insight
at
openDemocracy this week, as our writers make an effort to understand
fallout from the Olympic games and the US party conventions, the
horrors of Syria's war and struggles for dignity in Sudan, India and
Belarus.
At
openDemocracy this week, critical gazes fell upon a variety of
tactics, strategies and individuals. Drones
are like suicide bombs – only without the suicides,
explains
Paul Rogers:
the US and its allies might use them with great enthusiasm today, but
live to regret it if they inspire jihadists to make their own.
In the week of the ruling on Breivik’s sentence, we begin and end on what this means for Norway and the world. Robert Lambert looks at implications for security, Pål Grøndahl at what constitutessanity in the eyes of the law, while Kjetil Østli, who covered both the events and the trial, has written a haunting narrative on theimpossibility of justice.
People only accept change when they are faced with necessity, and only recognize necessity when crisis is upon them – quoting Jean Monnet, Somdeep Sen in our long-running ’Can Europe Make It?’ looks at the Spanish debt troubles, hoping for a blessing in disguise.