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Articles on Democracy Futures: Crossroads Europe

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‘I am a migrant’ solidarity signs were displayed during the European Parliament debate on immigration and asylum in the Strasbourg plenary. European Parliament/flickr

Crimes of solidarity: liberté, égalité and France’s crisis of fraternité

Fraternity is one of the three pillars of the French Republic, but social solidarity is fraying as citizens are criminalised for acting on their beliefs in the human rights of asylum seekers.
By engaging a broad base of people on a popular level, film has a much more immediate and visceral impact than formal lustration proceedings. Before the Rain (1994)

Cinema opens a dialogue about coming to terms with Balkans’ past

Cinema can be instrumental in opening up dialogue on collective culpability for the past. Manchevski’s Before the Rain and Angelopoulos’ Ulysses’ Gaze are perfect examples of this.
Podemos must reconsider who is above and who is below – who are the people and who are the people’s enemy. Podemos Uviéu/flickr

Podemos find itself caught between the battle lines of Spanish politics

Podemos positioned itself as leading a revolt by the people against the political system. Now, as Spain’s third-largest party, it is part of that system and has some difficult decisions to make.
Italians voted “No” by a convincing margin in the referendum on constitutional change.

What’s next for Italy?

In a climate of widespread discontent with Italy’s political establishment, a new election might wipe out most of the parties in the current government coalition.
Yes or no? Italian voters decide on December 4.

Will Italy’s referendum trigger the next crisis?

To understand whether the referendum will plunge Italy into a crisis, we need to unpack the problem in its three essential components: the reform; the Renzi’s factor; and the country’s economy.
Without democratic reform, the time ahead for both Britain and the EU looks bleak indeed. Gary Knight/flickr

UK and EU both need major democratic reform to survive Brexit fallout

The Brexit vote was the outcome of the disillusionment and disengagement that have permeated the UK. Many Europeans share that mood, which is why both the UK and EU need radical democratic surgery.
There is no better alternative than the rise of the populist left for Europe and beyond. The People's Assembly Against Austerity

In defence of left-wing populism

The future of democracy depends on developing a left-wing populism that can revive public interest by mobilising political passions in the fight for an alternative to neoliberal de-democratisation.
Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras and Pablo Iglesias of Podemos have taken their populist parties to victory in Greece and a lead in the polls in Spain. Flickr/Fanis Xouryas

Populism and democracy: friend or foe? Rising stars deepen dilemma

The rise of left-wing populism challenges those who flatly denounced right-wing populism as undemocratic. Populism can appear as a democratic force in some contexts and anti-democratic in others.
Salafi mosques are among the few to reach out to local converts in Europe. EPA/Julian Stratenschulte

European governments play their part in driving young Muslims to extremism

Governments in Europe have been horrified to see their young nationals turning to extremist groups and committing terrible acts in their name, but few have stopped to think about how their own policies…
Reflecting rising resentment of European austerity policies, people from Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece protested in 2011 at the European Central Bank. EPA/Frank Rumpenhorst

End of the dream: how Europe lost its way between Rome and Kiev

European integration has been an enormous success since its inception in the Treaty of Rome in 1957. For the next five decades European Union (EU) member states enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity…
One of the attempts made by the parliament to engage young voters. Oddly, it doesn’t appear to have been a roaring success. European Parliament

This election was to be different, but once again democracy in Europe is the big loser

“This time it’s different,” promised the European Parliament in an awareness campaign ahead of the May 2014 elections. And, judging by the headlines, it certainly has been different. Many in the media…

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