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The challenge...

An open letter to Yanis Varoufakis on his time as Greek finance minister, democracy and debt. How does this fit with his plans for DiEM25?

openDemocracy.net - free thinking for the world

...the reply

Yanis Varoufakis responds on the feasibility of reforming existing EU structures, a left-wing exit from the EU, and the vision for DiEM25.

openDemocracy.net - free thinking for the world

The challenge...

An open letter to Yanis Varoufakis on his time as Greek finance minister, democracy and debt. How does this fit with his plans for DiEM25?

openDemocracy.net - free thinking for the world

...the reply

Yanis Varoufakis responds on the feasibility of reforming existing EU structures, a left-wing exit from the EU, and the vision for DiEM25.

openDemocracy.net - free thinking for the world

This week's editor

RB, editor

Niki Seth-Smith is a freelance journalist, editor and fiction writer.

Redressing the UN's gender gap: how do the SG contenders compare?

Following an informal vote held at the UN in New York today, the UN Security Council will vote by acclamation tomorrow to choose Portugal’s António Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General. 

One Israeli Zionist response to Mary Davis and Jonathan Rosenhead

The real problem is that anti-Semitism has become an integral part of Palestinian and Arab nationalism, imported from the west.

Why Poland's 'Black Protest' could be a potential game changer

With its move to change the abortion legislation, the Polish government has opened Pandora's box, the consequences of which it cannot possibly control.

Can the fabric of a diverse society be undone? Diary of an EU citizen in the UK

“A few days later the PM and the Health Secretary, Hunt, have ready a proposal to train more British doctors - the same Hunt who has upset the majority of British doctors.”

The Mexican graveyard

Every 22 hours, a member of the press is attacked in Mexico. Always going too far to find the truth comes with the job description. Being shot, however, should not. Español

Introducing Open 2017 – what are platform co-ops?

Open 2017 is a two day conference on Platform Cooperatives being organised in conjunction with Goldsmiths, University of London on 16 - 17 February 2017.

Can there be an 'English Islam'?

'Englishness' is often set at odds with Islam, but in reality both these identities are malleable and porous. We must follow in the footsteps of Muslims throughout history in embracing new cultural formations.

The BBC must improve its religious affairs coverage

The BBC looks set to keep its religious coverage, but in a society where people increasingly identify as irreligious, how can it remain relevant?

The Daily Mail takes power

Where does Theresa May's ideology come from? The Daily Mail, says Anthony Barnett in a taster from his forthcoming book WHAT NEXT: Britain after Brexit.

Muslim migration, superdiversity, and sectarian violence

What lies behind two intra-Muslim killings in Britain? The question is timely at the unifying moment of a new Muslim year. 

What would a Corbyn government mean for LGBT people?

Labour's new LGBT manifesto promises to meaningfully tackle some of the problems faced by a community on the frontlines of government cuts.

Tajikistan’s imitation civil society

Harassment, intimidation and anti-opposition protest – this is the face of “civil society” in Tajikistan.

No data, no accountability: solving racial violence in the United States

Without adequate data, the US racial divide remains a matter of perception, rather than of careful empirical analysis. Português

What has Hindu law ever done for women?

India’s long overdue Uniform Civil Code, a set of common personal laws for all citizens, guaranteed by its constitution, is under renewed debate. It should not be based on Hindu law.

Mini seagulls, fish and chips, rolls of nets and boats on sticks

Divisive issues are the mainstays of modern politics. Can theatre help people to confront them?

Leading activists, artists, scholars and political figures take central role in DiEM25

Noam Chomsky, Elif Shafak, Brian Eno and Zoe Gardner are among the people who will be coordinating DiEM25’s activities from today.

When UK care workers fight back

Workers who provide essential services and compassion to vulnerable people are being forced to fight for the minimum wage.

Months later, Saudi still silent on stranded migrants

Until Saudi Arabia takes ownership of the crisis, it will remain responsible for the egregious human rights abuses tens of thousands of migrants are forced to endure each day.

European net neutrality, at last?

Article 3 of the Regulation defined the legal foundations of net neutrality in the EU, including the operators' obligation to "treat all traffic equally."

...the reply

Yanis Varoufakis responds to Alexis Cukier and Patrick Surain, who challenged him on his time as Greek finance minister, the feasibility of reforming existing EU structures, and a left-wing exit from the EU. Read 'the challenge' here.

The challenge...

An open letter to Yanis Varoufakis, on democracy, debt, banks and currency. Read Varoufakis' reply here.

Colombia, healing the rift

The peace process in Colombia has just suffered a huge blow. We should be thinking, with honesty and courage, how to start healing the rifts that the referendum has opened. Español Português

'Disciplined Democracy' – Lessons for Cuba from Myanmar

Myanmar’s recent transition to ‘disciplined democracy’ holds valuable lessons for Cuba’s democracy activists and civil society.

Anti-radicalisation, social movements, and imagining alternatives

Bue Rübner Hansen, Joan Pedro & Simona Rentea at the Cities of Welcome, Cities of Transit conference in Barcelona. (Video, 9 minutes)

World Bank investment on Assam’s tea plantations: hearing the voices of workers?

The forthcoming release of a World Bank investigation into rights violations of tea plantation workers in Assam represents an incredible achievement for communities who have raised their voice against formidable odds.

Starving Yemen

Is the forgotten war turning into a forgotten famine? What answers will we give when the next generation ask how we could watch these tragedies and do nothing?

Government duplicity exposed at NHS Expo in Manchester

As the warnings pile up about the financial problems in the NHS, the solutions on offer at its annual ‘Expo’ just don’t stack up.

A Citizens' Wealth Fund

A Citizens’ Wealth Fund is a state investment vehicle that invests a chunk of a community’s public wealth in global financial markets for a return. The returns of these funds provide an additional...

Invest in farming technology

It can take a thousand years to form an inch, which can be washed away in a moment. It provides 95% of our food, and yet we allow it to blow off in the wind. Civilisations rise and fall on how they tr...

Al consejo de Derechos Humanos, el Alto Comisionado de Derechos Humanos y la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas

Los abajo firmantes expresamos nuestro sólido apoyo al Grupo de Trabajo de Expertos en Personas de Descendencia Africana de la ONU. English, Français