Palestine/UN – quick update: showdown at the Security Council less likely
After talking with a lot of people at the UN, and in the leader- and diplomat-packed corridors and lobbies of various mid-town hotels in a rainy New York City, the likely early outcomes of the Palestinian initiative are becoming a bit clearer. Any observations now however must be stated with a very clear proviso that things are moving fast, and the diplomacy is hectic. Things may change very suddenly.
A simple guide to Palestine’s application for membership of the United Nations
There’s a lot of confusion about the PLO’s likely attempt this week to gain full membership of the UN. In particular, many commentators (and the PLO itself) often refer to the initiative as an attempt to gain “recognition” by the UN, which it is not. The UN does not recognise states; only other states can recognise states (however, UN membership would undoubtedly boost Palestine’s claim to be a state).
An extraordinary example of what “The Leaderless Revolution” is all about
My cousin told me about this remarkable story. It illustrates perfectly the arguments of “The Leaderless Revolution”: a tragic and difficult problem which an appeal to conventional insitutions could not solve; instead this brave and resourceful couple took matters, peacefully, into their own hands and addressed the problem, with great compassion, directly…
By Rafael Estefania
BBC News, Hansala, Morocco
“The Leaderless Revolution” – Video and Podcast of my talk at the London School of Economics
I was very privileged to be invited to give a lecture about my newly-published book at the London School of Economics. It was a great audience, and a very interesting discussion.
When Government is Broken
In the US and Europe, disillusion with politics is feeding the far right. We need a radical response that returns power to people
The recent debacle in Washington, where wrangling over the debt limit has triggered a downgrading of American debt, has underlined the deep incompetence of the US political system. Thanks to needless brinkmanship, particularly by the Republicans, confidence in US debt has been undermined, thereby likely increasing the cost of borrowing – a price that will eventually be paid by all Americans.
The Leaderless Revolution: The ongoing debate about bank regulation
One of the arguments of my forthcoming book is that one sign of the failure of government to agree necessary legislation is the seemingly arcane but vital issue of capital requirements for banks. I discuss this issue in this recent column for The Guardian. Such requirements arguably would have prevented the recent financial crisis.
Somalia: victim of war, famine and a pestilence of policy: my latest Guardian “Power and Nations” column, 28 July 2011
Somalia: victim of war, famine and a pestilence of policy
Facing starvation and instability, Somalia needs the international community to stop propping up a failed status quo and rethink
Your information, Their Power – my latest Guardian online column, 7 July 2011
The internet’s private enterprise
How far can we trust the corporations that profit by the personal data millions of us disclose online via social networks
Greece’s Crisis, Europe’s Nemesis – my latest “Power and Nations” column in The Guardian
Greece’s crisis, Europe’s nemesis
The very idea of European union, always a top-down project without popular assent, faces serious questions of legitimacy
What we can do to bring down dictators – My latest “Power & Nations” column in The Guardian
How might outsiders help fight dictators? As protesters fight dictators across the Middle East, people outside are asking what they can do to help.