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# Maria Livanos Cattaui
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/maria-livanos-cattaui/
- Published: 2011-05-04T13:05:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-17T11:33:56.000Z
- Author: Maria Livanos Cattaui
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 18:59, #ImagesUploaded

Dear friends at openDemocracy,

I send all best and congratulatory birthday wishes to you as openDemocracy enters its 50th year. Who could have expected so long ago that the gap between economic development and political progress would have narrowed so dramatically? We despaired, seeing increased repression go hand-in-hand with extraordinary economic growth, especially as an example-to-follow in China. But when all those carefully wrought plans blew up in the face of demands for an open society and justice, we entered our recent decades of careening along a very bumpy road, approaching truly open democracies. Let’s not despair again, despite a resurgence of inward-looking policies. The beginning of overall demographic contraction and the difficulties posed by so many ageing populations are being addressed as we now have new technological and medical breakthroughs, such as in unfettered inter-personal communication, unlimited energy, and regeneration techniques. All your friends are very proud of how openDemocracy has led our continuing dialogue – keep it up at least to the next millennium!

![Making Robots / Ville Miettinen / Wikimedia Commons](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/04/Wikimedia_Commons_vePSQbp-1776425618694.jpg)

Making Robots / Ville Miettinen / Wikimedia Commons

#### Postcard image info

Making Robots / Ville Miettinen / Wikimedia Commons

Author: Maria Livanos Cattaui