Democracy

In Central and Eastern Europe, vested interests are increasingly monopolising media and information to cement control and influence over opinions.

An interview with the secretary-general of Reporters Without Borders.

In Viktor Orbán’s self-styled illiberal democracy, power is maintained through patronage and cronyism built around public jobs and EU money.

A story of internet freedom and activism in a world where the EU’s copyright proposals are law, and are enforced to terrifying effect.

Murray Bookchin’s call for a radical democracy based on libertarian municipalism continues to inspire citizens’ movements across the globe.

Change in Poland today is part of a broader global transformation, and one which sees a deep urban-rural divide. What role can cities play in stopping the authoritarian populist wave?

Green reflections on prospects for prosperity, peace and a brighter future after a visit to North Korea.

Putin’s Russia is governed by means of political theatre designed to deflect and distract. From ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ foreign policy to anxious masculinity, this politics has spread from Russia to Europe and the United States, corroding democracy on the way.

With authoritarian populism on the rise, liberal democracy in Europe is facing an existential crisis. In this interview, Yascha Mounk, author of The People vs. Democracy, hashes out the conundrum facing democracies old and new.

Referendums are often considered the superior form of democratic expression, but how legitimate are they really?