Democracy in Europe after the elections

Nationalism is a way of deflecting discontent towards a convenient scapegoat, an ‘other’ – the immigrant or Europe. It is a way of mobilising political support while avoiding any commitment to address the underlying causes of discontent; that’s why it is often described as populism. Xenophobia and euroscepticism can never offer any constructive solutions. On the contrary the more the nationalist rhetoric succeeds the more our problems multiply and the more we blame the ‘other’. There is a long and alarming history of deflecting democratic demands by the appeal of nationalism, of which the First World War is perhaps the most poignant reminder. In more recent times it is worth noting that sectarian conflicts in both Bosnia and Syria were and are ways of responding to, diverting and suppressing democratic movements. In Ukraine, what was a nation-wide protest against corruption and for human rights is rapidly being reframed as a conflict between ‘eastern’ Russians and ‘European’ Ukrainians

The habits of the heart substantive democracy afterthe European elections

Despite the dramatic spread of democratic procedures in recent decades, there is a profound and growing deficit in substantive democracy everywhere. ‘They call it democracy but it isn’t’ was one of the slogans of the Spanish indignados

Momentous times for democracy in Europe

The shocking behaviour of the Eurozone leaders in punishing Greece for voting against austerity has alarming implications for the future. Is it too late to put democracy and Europe together again

How to end Syria’��s ‘new war’

Professor Mary Kaldor - Writing for Al Jazeera America

Mary Kaldor, Hungry for Peace: Positives and pitfalls of local truces and ceasefires in Syria

Mary Kaldor, Professor of Global Governance and Director of the Civil Society and Human Security Research Centre has co-authored a new report, ‘Hungry for Peace’, which documents local negotiations and agreements in Syria which have helped to bring respite, aid, services and hope to thousands of civilians caught up in the brutal war

Civil society in Syria (Text written in June 2013)

The following text was written by Professor Mary Kaldor on 17 June 201

Ukraine-Russia crisis: Europe needs to rethink its security arrangements along the lines of the Helsinki Accords rather than of classic geo-political alliances like NATO

Mary Kaldor discusses what is behind Russia’s foreign policy decisions over Ukraine and how the West may respond. She writes that while strengthening Ukrainian defensive capacities is important, and so is reducing energy dependence on Russia, what is ultimately needed is a rethinking of Europe’s security arrangements

Human security: practical possibilities

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed a turbulent world of inequality, failing states, crime, violence, racism and authoritarianism. But it has also opened up the practical possibilities of human security – the notion that governments and international institutions take responsibility for the wellbeing of individuals and the communities in which they live, protecting them from global ills such as Covid-19 and ensuring both material security (safety from poverty and deprivation) and physical security (safety from violence and crime). My focus on this essay is on physical security, and, in particular, how to address the problems that contemporary war inflicts upon individuals and communities. Of course, physical and material security are intimately connected. Poverty, inequality, and deprivation are undoubtedly a cause of violence and crime and, by the same token, violence accentuates precarity. But while solving the problems of material redistribution could well reduce the incentives for violence, this is extremely difficult to achieve in violent contexts where the warring parties control the flow of resources. Thus, finding ways to mitigate violence is often a precondition for material security. In this essay, I outline an understanding of human security as a tool for reducing violent conflict