The closure of the Greek broadcasting corporation

Hilary Wainwright reports from Thessaloniki on what happened when the state ordered Greece’s state broadcaster to shut down

Social movements and unrest in Mauritania since the Arab Uprisings

During those rare moments when western media attention is turned to the country, it is usually with a focus on these security issues rather than on the democratic struggles of Mauritanian citizens. 

Should I stay or should I go? Hobson's choice for Iraqi refugees in Syria

Those familiar with Syria before the conflict would recognize that xenophobic sentiments are contrary to the cultural DNA of Syria. But fears of difference have become much more entrenched as a result of the bloody conflict and the absence of a just authority.   

Turkish force, lies and videotape: repression on three fronts

The Turkish state seems to be determined to repress ongoing and expanding  popular revolts largely by using a combination of three strategies: police force, propaganda and social media too. 

When a fire starts to burn: who wants to be national?

In this concluding piece of the re-birth of the nation series, the debate’s editor asks what these articles tell us about the left’s troubled relationship with ‘the nation’. How might these arguments inform efforts to develop a thinking politics outside of the party system?

Letter from Tirana: Who is a guest in Europe’s house?

The political establishment has a decisive role in determining the place of hatreds in society; with adequate rules, laws and institutions it can marginalise and neutralise or, on the contrary, tolerate and encourage them. 

Populism: a European warning shot and what to do about it

This sudden emergence of populism was in fact a true sign of modernity. This is what you might describe as a warning shot – and when you see it happen, you have to realize that something is very wrong with democracy. An interview.

Ikaria: a reply to Anthony on the 'secret of longevity'

Ikaria is everything that our society, our obsessive consumerism, our corporate madness, our worship of technology, the IMF, the Eurosceptics, the EU, Angela Merkel and the rest despise.

Living in 'promotional times'

Promotion appears everywhere, so much so that we no longer notice. This is not just about explicit selling and buying. The promotional arms race has seeped into all fields, powerfully re-shaping individuals, organisations and our wider society.

India in the early twenty-first century is not 1930s Germany

The Modi camp seems to have studied Chinese success in keeping saturation control over the media. But Indians are split along caste, language, dialect, regional, religion, not to speak of class. India is vastly different from Germany.

Just another poor boy

Our Sunday Comics columnist reflects on the various origins of poor boys

‘We are all in this together’: a civic awakening in Bosnia-Herzegovina

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, a seemingly trivial administrative issue ignited an unprecedented movement of civic resistance across the country's old dividing lines. Understanding the message of defiance was directed against them all, politicians tried the old trick of 'divide and rule' – only to be ridiculed by protesters.

An unholy alliance

Private companies and intelligence services have entered an unholy alliance: The former collect vast amounts of private data, the latter scoop it up without much oversight.

The case of the ‘Brutal Savage’: Poirot or Clouseau? Why Steven Pinker, like Jared Diamond, is wrong

Steven Pinker claims to prove scientifically that the world is now more peaceful, accusing some critics of succumbing to myth. The author argues that Pinker is promoting a fictitious, colonialist image of a backward ‘Brutal Savage’, which pushes the debate back over a century and is still used to destroy tribes. (Long review)

The Gezi Occupation: for a democracy of public spaces

“Respect” has become a new slogan tagged on walls all over the cities, and expressing the need for a return to civility and call for politeness in Turkish public life. Gezi occupation reveals to us all, how “public square” becomes literally vital for our democracies.

Which sultan is Erdogan?

It is a sad state of affairs when an elected official is likened to a modern-day Ottoman sultan; however, the comparison is both startling and striking.

Welcome to the digital commons

openDemocracy calls itself a digital commons - but what does that really mean - and is it a sustainable model in a digital landscape dominated by tech giants? Dan Hind starts a conversation on digital commons and what they offer the future of the internet.

This week's window on the Middle East - June 10, 2013

Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week, Why use violence against peaceful protesters?

Me and the Copts Part One

“My name is Ahmed, this is my brother Mahmoud, and this is Hany, and that last kid is Christian”

This week's guest editors

openGlobalRights editors

Our guest editors James Ron, Leslie Vinjamuri, Sophie Arie and Archana Pandya introduce this week's theme of:

Emerging powers and human rights.

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