On more positive notes, Heather McRobie continues our exploration of how Bosnians are trying to rebuild their society from the bottom up and Georgy Borodyansky looks at the family of reindeer herders attempting to obstruct Russia’s oil giants. Concluding the Transformation series on money, Michael Edwards suggest we put it out if its misery.

In Africa race, gender and sexuality are still the source of much discontent. In Uganda religious pressure leads to increased persecution of homosexuality with the passage of some draconian anti-gay legislation. In South Africa, is it ok for Oscar Pistorius to shoot his girlfriend if he believed she was an “imaginary black intruder”? On the security front, Nick Turse asks just how light is the US military’s “light footprint” in Africa.

David Wearing interviews leading human rights activist Maryam al-Khawaja on Bahrain, ongoing government repression and Britain’s role in the unrest. Avi Mograbi speaks about his latest film as part of a new collaboration between openDemocracy and Open City Docs Fest. Soraya Morayef reviews a new film, The Square, on the uprisings in Egypt, and asks, ‘but where are the women?’.

Britain’s state of dysfunction and farce continues with Alison Whyte examining a new BBC documentary where celebrities come face to face with people who can’t afford food. Sunder Katwala criticises the radio debate on the EU between Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage, and says the pro-EU side are concentrating on reason to the point of irrationality. In media, Brian Winston argues that the BBC license fee levied on the British audience is an essential part of the BBC’s make up as the Corporation’s opponents find new ways to undermine it.

Erin Evers considers the situation in Iraq where sectarian violence may be obscuring issues of deteriorating rights for Iraqi women and girls. And finally, despite much progress (and funding) towards Turkey’s membership of the EU there is still much work to be done to secure the human rights that membership requires.

Last but far from least, Fawaz Gerges sorts myth from reality regarding this revolutionary chapter of the Middle East.


Not to miss:

• Journalists under attack from hackers, says Google

• Errol Morris on talking to Donald Rumsfeld

• Mother Jones got another speech on tape, this time Cheney, and many US Republicans still have an urge to bomb Iran

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