How have the uprisings of the Arab Spring shaped the path of revolutions?

Iranian-American scholar Asef Bayat, author of ‘Revolutionary Life: The Everyday of the Arab Spring’, on the evolution of revolutions and their impact on everyday lives

By Tugrul Mende

/ 9 Feb 2022

How have the uprisings of the Arab Spring shaped the path of revolutions?

Shaping imagination in 1960s Beirut: a conversation with Zeina Maasri

The role of the visual in modern history, and the transnational nature of 1960s Beirut as a hub of politically oriented creativity and intellectual life

By Tugrul Mende

/ 26 Jan 2022

Shaping imagination in 1960s Beirut: a conversation with Zeina Maasri

Why aren’t more Russians protesting war in Ukraine? We asked an expert

Anti-war activist Sergei Davidis on why Russian society is reluctant to condemn the threat of war – despite largely disagreeing with it

By Natalia Shkurenok

/ 24 Jan 2022

Why aren’t more Russians protesting war in Ukraine? We asked an expert

What really happened in Kazakhstan? A feminist perspective

The recent protests in Kazakhstan are over, but confusion reigns. Feminist and LGBT activist Zhanar Sekerbayeva gives her view of events

By Thomas Rowley

/ 19 Jan 2022

What really happened in Kazakhstan? A feminist perspective

Meet the conservative who could unseat Viktor Orbán

Exclusive: In Péter Márki-Zay, the opposition may finally have a candidate capable of ending 12 years of increasingly authoritarian Orbán rule

By Daniel Nolan

/ 14 Jan 2022

Meet the conservative who could unseat Viktor Orbán

Anger, injustice and politics brought people to the streets in Kazakhstan

Exclusive: veteran human rights defender Yevgeniy Zhovtis tells openDemocracy about how the tumultuous protests started – and ended – this week

By Paolo Sorbello

/ 9 Jan 2022

Anger, injustice and politics brought people to the streets in Kazakhstan

'Oil companies owe a debt to the lives destroyed'

In this interview, Ken Henshaw explains why Nigerians are demanding reparations for over 60 years of Shell oil extraction

By Freddie Stuart and Ken Henshaw

/ 27 Dec 2021

'Oil companies owe a debt to the lives destroyed'

What role can a public broadcaster play in Georgia’s polarised politics?

Exclusive: George Gvimradze, head of news at the country’s public broadcaster, on a divided media, impartiality, and holding politicians to account

By Ilya Yablokov

/ 7 Dec 2021

What role can a public broadcaster play in Georgia’s polarised politics?

Keeping memory alive: the vital work of Russia’s Memorial organisation is under threat

Russian prosecutors are threatening the existence of an organisation dedicated to the independent preservation of historical memory and human rights

By Editors of oDR

/ 23 Nov 2021

Keeping memory alive: the vital work of Russia’s Memorial organisation is under threat

Meet the UK activist bringing clothes and community to trans youth

G(end)er Swap: gender-affirming fashion can be a ‘lifesaver’ for young trans people – who can wait years for vital healthcare

By Lou Ferreira

/ 19 Nov 2021

Meet the UK activist bringing clothes and community to trans youth

Cass Sunstein: The moment I knew that US democracy was in mortal danger

The world-leading behavourial economist used to think that warnings about the fragility of US democracy were 'crazy anxiety talk'. Then came 6 January

By The Depolarization Project

/ 9 Nov 2021

Cass Sunstein: The moment I knew that US democracy was in mortal danger

Ukraine’s Donbas conflict: a personal reflection on loss and war

A writer charts her journey through grief as she mourns her brother, killed on the Donbas front line, and reflects how war has changed Ukrainian society

By Thomas Rowley

/ 27 Oct 2021

Ukraine’s Donbas conflict: a personal reflection on loss and war

Interview