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Democracy field notes

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Austin/WallpaperMade

Mexico: The Cactus Democracy

This research note on Mexican politics and society was inspired by a recent visit to Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca, as a guest of the country’s Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE). Visitors to Mexico are…
Ludwig Wittgenstein, in Swansea, Wales, September 1947. Ben Richards

Wittgenstein and the Dangers of Certainty

The following notes on the politics of rising uncertainty and the future of democracy were prepared for the inaugural CISS global forum, Peace and Security under Uncertainty, Quarantine Station, Sydney…
Anti-Park protesters in Seoul stage a candlelight vigil calling for her impeachment and arrest. Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

The Cherry Blossom Uprising: Monitory Democracy in Korea

Political scientists trained or based in the Atlantic region have a bad habit of ignoring trends in our Asia-Pacific region. When they do pay attention to its dynamics, they often misleadingly measure…
Julian Leek/AAP

The Death of President Trump

We live in darkening times, so it’s time for some dark humour. Inspired by the antics of a Big Man with a Big Mouth, think just for a moment about the important subject of how democracies treat their elected…
A festive decoration hangs from the truck that ploughed into the Christmas market in Berlin. Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch

Why violence in Berlin is dangerous for democracy

Attacks like the one in Berlin harm democracy because they spread fear and self-censorship among citizens.
Graffiti on a wall in Sana'a, Yemen, denounces US drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians. Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

War and democracy in the age of Trump

The 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…

A New Politics of Time

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…
Julian Assange in October this year, celebrating 10 years of Wikileaks from the Ecuadorian embassy in London. AAP/Maurizio Gambarini

Hillary Clinton, Julian Assange and the US election

Martin McKenzie-Murray’s recent take-down of Julian Assange and Wikileaks misses the mark in many ways.

A New Democratic Enlightenment?

This is the slightly rewritten text of my address to the opening plenary session, ‘New Enlightenment Neue Aufklärung’, at the European Forum Alpbach, Alpbach, Austria, 28 August 2016. Ladies and Gentlemen…