A historical moment? Leveson and spectacle
An unprecedented public inquiry into the UK press has ended in squabbles over legal semantics. The biggest loser is in fact the British public, who will continue to be subject to misinformation and...
View ArticleEmerging civil administrations: a way forward in Syria?
Whereas the government and security institutions of Egypt and Tunisia have remained intact, necessity being the mother of invention, a new form of governance has emerged in Syria. This in itself is...
View ArticleCyprus crisis: swan-song of the Eurozone
Harsh measures imposed on Cypriot political and financial authorities to address bank failures reveal, once again, that the entire architecture of the EU is in tatters. The geopolitics surrounding the...
View ArticleRevolution or civil war? The battle of narratives in Syria
The main division in Syria is not sectarian or regional; it is simply between the regime as an overarching establishment and its opponents who are revolting against its totalitarian rule. The regime’s...
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All dissidents now: Russia's protests and the image of history
THE CEELBAS DEBATE // How far does the current clash between the opposition and authorities reflect Russia's history of dissidence? Tom Rowley considers the importance of the similarities and...
View ArticleAnti-semitism, Israel and nationalism, part 2/3
Antony Lerman in conversation with Tony Curzon Price around Lerman's political memoir, The Making and Unmaking of a Zionist - A personal and political journey. Part 2, 30 mins.Judaism is not a religion...
View ArticleAnti-semitism, Israel and Nationalism, Part 3/3
Antony Lerman in conversation with Tony Curzon Price around Lerman's political memoir, The Making and Unmaking of a Zionist - A personal and political journey. Part 3, 25 mins.Melanie Phillips has been...
View ArticleWorkfare, energy and equity
Ivan Illich's ‘Energy & Equity’ shows how large-scale energy systems entail inequality, unfreedom, and loss of human dignity. The workfare debate between Aaron Peters and Tony Curzon Price ignores...
View ArticleTwo girlfriends, a Buick & a flamingo - chapter five
Diana Flatrock dresses up to relive her confusing encounters with Buick and Anais Nin in a motel confessional before the local Methodist deacon. Diana's Dad Arty inisists on a form of punishment that,...
View ArticleFour nations and a funeral: the demise of the British welfare state
Today sees the transformation of the British welfare system, combining crippling cuts to benefits with the full blown marketisation of England's NHS. This is Cameron's "compassionate conservatism"....
View ArticleWhat if they held a constitutional convention and everybody came?
Across Britain a variety of people and alliances are seeking to respond to Westminster's strategy of economic austerity and political stasis, and calls are made for both a constitutional convention and...
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Kremlin games: when programming meets politics
THE CEELBAS DEBATE// Russia has a booming and influential video-game market. The authorities want to capitalise on the industry, but do they really understand how it works? ‘What we need is more...
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Understanding Somalia
The scenario has changed with Turkish involvement in Somalia, in a way that prompts me to ask what it is that the Turks have done differently, to win over the hearts of the people of Somalia. The...
View ArticleThis week's window on the Middle East - April 1, 2013
Arab Awakening's columnists offer their weekly perspective on what is happening on the ground in the Middle East. Leading the week, Understanding SomaliaUnderstanding Somalia Qatar’s top diplomat...
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Young and good looking: the saviours of Europe’s Left
They are young. They are good looking. They are well spoken. They may just be the saviours of the European Left.Alexis Tsipras (38), the leader of the leftist Syriza in Greece, has been the subject of...
View ArticleThe alliance of media and humanitarianism in Lebanon
With the growing Syrian refugee crisis, media entrepreneurs seem to care more about protecting the orthodox morality of humanitarianism, with the excuse of preserving social order - as conceived by...
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Italy 2013: collapse, revolution or renaissance?
It is a strange country that risks killing off Europe having been one of its founding and most reliable members. To move away from the sterile politics of the past twenty years, Italy has to come up...
View ArticleAgonising Auntie - the BBC and the NHS
Despite widespread and continued criticism of their coverage of the NHS dismantlement in England, the Beeb seem unwilling to change course. Fans of obscure trivia will doubtlessly have heard of Ernest...
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Peace in Cyprus: Is it more likely today than it was in 2004?
The 2004 Annan Plan to re-unite the island failed spectacularly; but within the current economic crisis there is room for reconciliation in Cyprus.wikimedia commons. Some rights reserved.The outcome of...
View ArticleBRICS summit: headway on Syria but can we also discuss corporate...
Unfortunately, the summit was largely a government – business show with scant involvement of civil society. But a positive step has been taken by the BRICS statement on humanitarian assistance to the...
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