institutions & government

Everyone likes the idea of fair, accountable and effective international institutions to cope with global economic, environment and security issues. But what form should they take? David Held and Paul Hirst argue for gradual reform within. George Monbiot advocates root and branch democratisation of the UN, and the creation of a new economic order. Other contributors identify key dilemmas and suggest creative solutions.
Wednesday 8th February

Baltasar Garzón, the politics of justice

Pia Navazo, 8 February 2012
The effort by Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón to investigate killings of civilians during the era of General Franco’s dictatorship has made him a legal target. The process raises profound legal and moral issues, says Pia Navazo.
Thursday 29th December

North Korea, the arts of succession

JE Hoare, 29 December 2011
The aftermath of the death of Kim Jong-Il highlights the obstacles in the way of a clear assessment of North Korea's power dynamics, says JE Hoare.
Wednesday 23rd November

An arch-visionary of Canterbury

Theo Hobson, 23 November 2011
The leading religious authority of the Church of England has disappointed many of the hopes invested in him. Rowan Williams has indeed failed to address the challenges facing the Church and the Anglican Communion, not least its historic entanglement with state power. This is the project that his successor must understand, says Theo Hobson.
Friday 18th November

Giant strides or fairy footsteps

Simon Maxwell, 18 November 2011
How much progress can be made in tackling climate change without a global deal?
Friday 28th October

Occupy Wall Street: where are the migrants?

Shilpa Kameswaran, 28 October 2011
The lack of demographic diversity amongst the protestors and uncertainty about their demands make Occupy Wall Street difficult to take seriously, argues Shilpa Kameswaran from a migrant's perspective
Tuesday 25th October

Democracy and development: towards Busan

Alina Rocha Menocal, 25 October 2011
The capacity of new or fragile democratic regimes to deliver development is being closely debated as international agencies prepare for a landmark summit in South Korea. The core issue at stake is presented by Alina Rocha Menocal.
Monday 3rd October

Venezuela: violence and politics

Silke Pfeiffer, 3 October 2011
An escalation of violent crime in Venezuela exposes both social fractures and institutional failures in Hugo Chávez's domain, says Silke Pfeiffer.
Sunday 11th September

9/11, and the hijacked decade

Vicken Cheterian, 11 September 2011
The al-Qaida strategy of attacking the United States created its own form of blowback. But the triumph of militarisation after 9/11 exacted a deeper cost on the world, says Vicken Cheterian.
Saturday 10th September

9/11: more security, less secure

Cas Mudde, 10 September 2011
The world has been changed by the securitisation of everyday life and the Islamisation of security. The accompanying threat-complex has shifted American sensibilities, says Cas Mudde. 

The path from 9/11

Jane Kinninmont, 10 September 2011
A focus on the violence of an Arab and Muslim minority skewed western policy for a decade. The great events of 2011 are a chance to think afresh, says Jane Kinninmont, whose life was altered by witnessing the 9/11 attacks.

After 9/11: a wasteland of buried reason

Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, 10 September 2011
America’s excessive reaction to the 9/11 attacks was the prelude to a decade of damage and injustice on a vast scale. An understanding of what went wrong is essential to progress in the next ten years, says Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh.

9/11: a perfect pretext, a terrible legacy

Mariano Aguirre, 10 September 2011
The tragedy of 11 September 2001 was used by authoritarian forces in the United States as a political opportunity. The ensuing damage to liberty, legality and democracy has been deep, says Mariano Aguirre
Friday 9th September

Chile: protest for the “promised land”

Patricio Navia, 9 September 2011
The student movement convulsing Chile is aiming for social inclusion and reform of the model that improved the lives of millions in the 1990s. It should be seen in its own terms and not as a mere outpost of a global trend, says Patricio Navia.
Thursday 8th September

9/11, and the lost decade

Paul Rogers, 8 September 2011
What are the principal lessons of the ten years of war since the 11 September 2001 attacks? Paul Rogers, whose first openDemocracy column was published a few days after 9/11, responds to three questions.

The world’s food crisis: time to move

Simon Maxwell, 8 September 2011
The international response to the food crisis of 2011 is less energetic and coherent than during the last emergency, in 2008. Both economic understanding and political impetus need to be improved, says Simon Maxwell.
Wednesday 7th September

The mutilated world: 9/11 in Poland

Adam Szostkiewicz, 7 September 2011
The intense Polish empathy with America of the days after 11 September 2001 drew on an enduring connection. But there are signs of change, says Adam Szostkiewicz.

9/11, ten years on: reflections

David Hayes, 7 September 2011
A terror-filled day of mass murder in the eastern United States imprinted itself on the world's consciousness - and became the prelude to a decade of further violence. openDemocracy writers reflect on the impact and legacy of the events of 11 September 2001.

After 9/11: a painful lesson

Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, 7 September 2011
The inspiring Arab protesters of 2011 bring hope that the tragic cycle of animosity opened by 9/11 can end, says Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi.

After 9/11: the ripples of global violence

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, 7 September 2011
The postmodern terror of 11 September 2001 unleashed a decade of catastrophic war. A decade's accounting includes both numberless victims and some unlikely beneficiaries, says Arshin Adib-Moghaddam.
Monday 5th September

Libya: the revolution-intervention dynamic

Martin Shaw, 5 September 2011
The success of Libya’s uprising is welcome - even if both the rebel movement and foreign support for it reflect the inevitable contradictions of politics. The challenge now includes holding account all perpetrators of atrocity, says Martin Shaw.
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