Overall the conviction of Charles Taylor represents only a very partial achievement for the broader cause of transitional justice in Liberia and beyond, with the selective nature of the process its critical flaw
The most important of the secondary effects of the guilty verdict against Charles Taylor will be the notion that those who support the wars of others can be found culpable of the crimes committed by those they support. That should be a warning to many state officials who relate to irregular armed
The years of conflict in Liberia have left a heavy legacy and ensured that the return to democracy has been bumpy. This makes both major internal reform and international support for the west African state vital, says Gilles Olakounlé Yabi.
The experience of entering the world of the human rights "professional" leads the author from Cairo to Liberia, from multilateral organisation to social enterprise
Earthquake in Chile causes mass destruction and displacement. Islamist opposition orders the World Food Programme out of Somalia. Colombia’s election race begins as President Uribe denied third term. Northern Liberia under curfew following the outbreak of religious violence. Malaysian peace monito
James Galbraith talks about Paul Krugman's NYT article, "How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?", the academic discipline after the crash, the forgotten traditions in economics, the economics and law of fraud and much else over breakfast at the Goodenough Club
Listen to a podcast of the openDemocracy Russia evening on 2 July 2009 in London. The editor of openDemocracy's Russia Section, Susan Richards discusses her new book Lost and Found in Russia with the scholar Anatol Lieven. The evening was also part celebration of the first anniversary of openDemoc
Laureate Mairead Maguire spoke to Jane Gabriel about a new politic she sees arising: one in which ‘deep democracy’ is built by people, one to one, and demanding that the money be taken out of militarism.
Every woman at the NWI gathering in Antigua had a way of redefining democracy - from writing the new Ecuadorian constitution to include the rights of nature, to fighting for a place at the negotiating table of the peace talks in Sudan. Jane Gabriel listened to three days of stories,debate and plan
Jody Williams speaks frankly to Jane Gabriel about the impact that being a Nobel Peace Laureate has on her life - both personally and politically.
Breaking the Cycle of Violence: finding a place of peace. Women in Birmingham who have escaped violence at home talk to Siobhan O'Connell.
In part two, Blumenthal dissects the Iraq project - an "ideological dreamland" characterised by incompetence. "green zone of the mind" then on to torture and detention policy, the emergence of John McCain, unique challenge for the next president, and the end of an era
