The consequences of the Egyptian crisis go far beyond the country and its immediate neighbours. Amro Ali rightly observes that Egypt is already destined to become the textbook example of successful (or failed) democratic transition, while Salam Al-Kawakibi argues the most important lesson to draw from Egypt and Tunisia (where the first general strike since 1978 took place on Thursday) is that involving all parties from early building stages is key.

50.50, our section on inclusive democracy, has naturally had a long interest in the Egyptian revolution. Mariz Tadros fears a slide towards "Islamist fascism" and Zoe Holman discusses gendered violence as a tool of state repression with the founder of anti-harassment network Imprint. Meanwhile, Hania Sholkamy asks: will the international community meet the challenge of democracy in Egypt?

It seems that for now, the international community has other fish to fry: the US Army is dealing with problems of its own, and the EU is still struggling to build a coherent foreign action service in the midst of the euro crisis. Many are also starting to question the poor democratic record of the EU, and the worrying influence of lobbyists in Brussels – even if there are (almost) easy solutions to bridging the EU's democratic deficit.

Besides these old problems, it hasn't been a bad week for the EU at all: having received a (well-deserved?) Nobel Peace Prize on Monday, it can look at the future confidently, as its popularity in new and aspiring member states hasn't suffered from the crisis.

Meanwhile, OurKingdom explores the re-birth of the nation in a ground-breaking series on the national backlash against the logic of globalization. And as the removal of the Union Jack from Belfast City Hall awakens old tensions, openDemocracy's Britain and Ireland: Lives Entwined series revisits the conflict and subsequent peace-building.

On oDRussia, editor Ollie Carroll sits down with a microphone and two experts to discuss Russian foreign policy, asking them a simple question: who is behind the wheel?

In the same section, and to finish on a lighter note, Alexander Mozhayev discovers the remnants of ancient Moscow under the ever-shifting city.

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