Democracy

Text and photos by Mauricio Alvarez. We have chosen to publish this article in two parts to simplify your reading.  The first was to recall the meaning of the word democracy and explain the root causes of the Yellow Vests movement. This second part focuses on the… »

Text and photos by Mauricio Alvarez. The Yellow Vests movement is growing more and more. A few days before a fourth major day of demonstrations, scheduled for Saturday, December 8, 2018, actions are multiplying all over France: roadblocks, blockades of petrol stations, “toll-free” operations, and so on. Despite the government’s… »

By Jonathan Pinckney In 2011, Egypt began a political transition following a nonviolent revolution. There was tremendous optimism both from within the country and abroad that the transition was likely to lead to a democratic outcome. In 2014, Burkina Faso also began a political transition after a nonviolent revolution overthrew longtime… »

You’ve been radically misled to believe that the only thing, or the most important thing, or one of the super important things you can do is vote. Voting in a functioning democracy would be a fairly important thing to do, but wouldn’t somehow eliminate the thousands of important things that… »

We spoke at length with the French philosopher Pierre Dardot, who maintains that if one does not understand how Neoliberalism works, one cannot resist it or overcome it. That it is necessary to recognize it by permeating the different human activities, influencing far beyond the economic systems that reduce the… »

By ADAM RAMSAY 10 September 2018 for openDemocracy Deserted by members, right-wing parties serve the rich, while people have flocked to centre and left alternatives, only to be smeared as “dogs” and “Trots”. The SNP has more members than the Conservatives. Labour is the biggest… »

We share with our readers the text of the paper presented by Javier Tolcachier, in the event “Unraveling Digital Social Networks”, held in Quito on August 29, 30 and 31, convened by ALAI, FLACSO and CIESPAL. We have become media beings, we live online, we are connected, we are between… »

How Facebook & Surveillance Capitalism Empower Authoritarianism “Black Elevation.” “Mindful Being.” “Resisters.” “Aztlan Warriors.” Those are the names of some of the accounts removed from Facebook and Instagram Tuesday after Facebook uncovered a plot to covertly influence the midterm elections. The tech giant said 32 fake accounts and Facebook pages… »

Given the overwhelming evidence that activist efforts are failing to halt the accelerating rush to extinction precipitated and maintained by dysfunctional human behavior, it is worth reflecting on why this is happening. Of course, you might say that the rush to extinction is being slowed. But is… »

By JOHN WEEKS 18 July 2018 for openDemocracy What is the source of the 21st century tendency to authoritarianism? The central purpose of neoliberal re-regulation is to remove economic policy from control by representative democracy. It is difficult to find a major country in which… »