We’re witnessing the rise of populist leaders around the globe. John Keane, Professor of Politics and co-founder and director of the Sydney Democracy Network (SDN), explains why we need something more radically democratic to turn this around. Populism is everywhere on...
Read MoreThe writer-political thinker Albert Camus once commented that the true source of strength of modern Europe has been its ability to live on its contradictions, flourish amid its differences and, under pressure, to reinvent itself as “a civilisation on which...
Read More[caption id="attachment_10888" align="aligncenter" width="926"] A festive decoration hangs from the truck that ploughed into the Christmas market in Berlin. Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch[/caption] “Stay at home and don’t spread rumours,” Berlin’s police chief tweeted last night as news spread of the shockingly violent...
Read MoreThe ancient Greek historian Herodotus once observed that Persian rulers indulged the habit of getting drunk when making important decisions. When sober and sensible next morning, their custom was to reconsider their decision, and either stick to it, or revise...
Read MoreThursday 17 November 2016 8:05PM (view full episode) Across Europe, the US and Asia right-wing political parties have created what Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, termed "galloping populism." Movements like the Sweden Democrats, the National Front in France, the...
Read MoreAimar Roll There’s a widespread belief that actually existing democracies are in the grip of a fast-paced world dominated by breaking news and all things instant. The following contribution sets out to question this belief. It takes readers on a time...
Read MoreWhere do we place the victory of President-elect Donald Trump in terms of global politics? Recently we've seen the success of UK conservatives with the Brexit vote, electoral gains for right-wing parties in Europe, and the election of Philippines strongman President...
Read MoreJohn Keane, University of Sydney The following field note will shortly appear in Germany’s Die Zeit. It is a brief commentary on the factual errors and misjudgements of numerous journalists when reporting the role recently played by Julian Assange and WikiLeaks...
Read More‘When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called the People’s Stick.’ Mikhail Bakunin, Statism and Anarchy (1873) Populism is in the air: it’s the topic of the moment, the subject everybody wants...
Read MoreLos nuevos despotismos: imaginando el fin de la democracia* Resumen Este ensayo nos proponemos plantear una nueva perspectiva acerca de una tendencia inquietante que está configurando nuestro mundo en estos primeros años del siglo xxi: el auge del despotismo. Nos preguntamos si...
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