Not so long ago, in a galaxy not so far away… democracy was in danger. Our current political environment is filled with threats to democracy, from the rise of authoritarian populism around the world...
Politics
Corruption: How The UK Compares To Other Countries
Corruption allegations have been flowing freely in the UK of late. To cherry-pick just some, an MP has resigned over his apparent conflicts of interest, a former attorney general has had his external...
Belarus: Border Crisis With Poland Loses Sight Of The People...
Tensions at the border between Poland and Belarus continue to rise, with thousands of vulnerable migrants stranded in a standoff between the two countries and the geopolitical blocs to which they...
Pandora Papers: Media Rage At Billionaire Tax Cheats But Ignore...
Many of the world’s richest and most powerful people are in the spotlight for the wrong reasons – again. The Pandora papers is the third and largest leak of documents in which the secret financial...
The Supreme Court’s Immense Power May Pose A Danger To Its...
The first Monday in October is the traditional day that the U.S. Supreme Court convenes for its new term. Analysts and soothsayers carefully read the signals and forecast the direction the court...
Angela Merkel’s Departure Is An Opportunity To Fix The EU
It will probably take a while for the fact that Angela Merkel is no longer Germany’s chancellor to sink in. It is hard to remember life before ‘Mutti’. When she came to power in 2005, no one had...
Why Spite Could Destroy Liberal Democracy
As communism imploded in 1989, the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama asked if liberal democracy was “the end of history”, being the form all societies were destined to take. The past...
When Human Life Begins Is A Question Of Politics – Not Biology
A Texas law that aims to eliminate almost all abortions in the state is part of a long-standing nationwide movement to restrict the right to abortion. The Texas law went into effect on Sept. 1, 2021...
I’m A Sheep And Cattle Farmer In England, And Brexit Has Left...
You either love him or hate him, but Jeremy Clarkson’s documentary series about trying to get to grips with sheep rearing, tractor driving and running a farm shop at Diddly Squat Farm has...
It’s A Myth That We’re Too ‘Soft’ On Serious Young Offenders –...
The BBC drama, Time, offered a rare and unusually realistic insight into the significant pains of imprisonment in England and Wales. It challenged the assumption that prison is too soft, and that...
20% of UK Political Donations Come From Just Ten Men
Just ten men have made a fifth of all major political donations from individuals in the UK in the past two decades, openDemocracy can reveal. These men have given a staggering £106m to political...
What’s Happening In Haiti?
In the days since president Jovenel Moïse’s assassination last week, Haiti’s situation has become increasingly uncertain. Questions remain over the tragic incident, as a power struggle plays itself...
South Africa In Flames: Spontaneous Outbreak Or Insurrection?
South Africans spent most of mid-July glued to their news outlets, from established media outlets to TikTok, from streaming news to old-fashioned printed words, to see just one thing: would Jacob...
Jacob Zuma Isn’t A Man With A Cause. Just A Wily Politician...
South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruling to imprison the country’s former president, Jacob Zuma, was unprecedented. But it wasn’t unexpected. The author of the majority judgment, Justice Sisi...
Afghans Left To Pick Up The Pieces Of The West’s Failed War
As the Taliban rapidly expand in the shadow of US and NATO allies’ retreat, has anyone considered the impact on innocent civilians? Military leaders in the United States and Britain, as well as...
Turkish Spies Are Abducting Erdogan’s Political Opponents Abroad
Emboldened by a lack of repercussions from NATO and the EU, Turkish President Erdogan’s regime is kidnapping dissidents. On 1 June, Orhan Inandi, a Turkish-Kyrgyz national was declared missing in the...
G7 Tax Deal: If You Think Multinationals Will Be Forced To Pay...
Finance ministers in London from the G7 group of wealthy nations have agreed on a deal that has been described invariably as a landmark that will transform the landscape of global corporate tax...
Nagorno-Karabakh: In The Aftermath Of War, Armenia Faces An...
More than six months have passed since the “second Karabakh war”, as it is now called, came to an abrupt end last year with Armenia all but defeated. The ceasefire hastily signed on November 9 –...
How Right-Wing Populists Use Food To Legitimise Their Extreme...
Getting breakfast done’: Italian strawberries, Hungarian pickles and a pint of English beer are all part of the Right-wing populists’ food fight for voters Few everyday items have the ability...
Somalia: Toxic Elite Politics And The Need For Cautious External...
The current government’s decision on April 12th to seek a two-year extension has thrown Somalia’s fragile political process into disarray. The president has since called for elections and a return to...