How often do you speak to a Swedish neo-conservative? Or a Bosnian refugee in London? Where does the Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce join into conversations with a law student from Spain and a citizen of Mozambique? It happens right here, in openDemocracys discussion forums.
People who would never meet elsewhere come together for debate in the discussion forums, bringing diverse views and values into one space. openDemocracy is where members of the US military showed up anonymously at the brink of the war on Iraq to discuss their views with pacifists, protesters and Iraqis. And where people listen to your opinions, tell you their own, and are inspired by free thinking.
It has been exciting to see the discussion forums develop in 2003. There are familiar debaters who have stayed over the months, authors who have been involved in forums after writing articles, and a steady flow of newcomers who bring in unexpected angles and fresh perspectives.
Weve enjoyed seeing the turns discussions have taken, as perceptions and convictions shift.
As forum moderator, my job involves reading every single post on the site. No doubt Ive missed a couple - but out of the 11,424 posts that have appeared on openDemocracy in the past year, I have read most. Among them, there are many very high-quality contributions.
A selection of posts couldnt possibly be definitive or representative of the forums as a whole the only way to experience their chemistry is to dive straight in. But the following taster does stand as a tribute to all the readers who make openDemocracy such a great place to visit and re-visit. Youre one of them.
Rather than giving you peaks of discussions right across the site, my friend and colleague Sarah Lindon and I have gone in pursuit of a favourite topic of ours - democracy. What could be more appropriate?
Solana Larsen
Click on the links below to see posts in their original context. Add your responses too!
Imposing democracy
The question of whether you can impose democracy has been central to many discussions this year. Here are a few moments we enjoyed.
Milos Kovacevic and Neocon discussed the United States role as democratiser. Gary Jones argued that democracy is an expression of values that cannot be imposed, and Dorothy Stein related problems anticipated in bringing about democracy in Iraq to voting habits more generally.
openDemocracy romance or reality?
Can we create forms of democracy that reflect the ideal? openDemocracy is one experiment in democratic practices - is it a haven of democratic exchange? Djeanroy cited some conditions for open debate. And Anthony Hanwell considered the role of the internet in his post on e-democracy.
Critics and saboteurs
Shadia Drury followed her interview with Danny Postel about neoconservatism and Leo Strauss with a post to the discussion forums. It was the start of a lively, thoughtful and lengthy debate about methods of government, and how democracy can go wrong.
Truth or rhetoric? Name your sources!
Who can you believe? The difficulty of finding reliable sources and keeping track of the information in which a view is grounded is one that readers address in various ways.
Erin Leonard compiled George Bushs statements about WMD for readers reference. A Kuwaiti wrote from direct experience to refute a point made in an article by Yahia Said, and Claudio von Planta gave his sense of the mood in Iraq based on his visit there rather than on media reports.
Can democracy be inclusive? And global? And fair?
When democracy meets religion, or economics, or a globalised world, its need to negotiate difficulty with constructive, trustful dialogue is clear. Here are a couple of moments from some of the challenging and stimulating discussions that have tested such boundaries.
Milos Kovacevic and Asif Khan tackled the subject of where the worldly and the spiritual meet. Clive Bates, in our Cancunblog, wondered whether democratising international organisations, such as the WTO, can actually make democracy a world phenomenon. Or is it ultimately the preserve of nation states?
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We are continually refining and improving our forums, with your help. Let us know what you would like to see, and how forums could be improved for users: email Solana our forum moderator or Sarah our readers editor.