OpenDemocracy
Encyclopedia
openDemocracy is a website
for debate about international politics and culture, offering news and opinion articles from established academics, journalist
s and policymakers covering current issues in world affairs. openDemocracy was founded in 2000 by Anthony Barnett, David Hayes, Susan Richards and Paul Hilder
. Publishing started in May 2001.
Prominent contributors to the ezine have included Kofi Annan
, George Soros
, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
, Shirin Ebadi
, Sidney Blumenthal
, Peter Hain
, Pierre Bourdieu
, Manuel Castells
, Fred Halliday
, and David Blunkett
. openDemocracy's mission statement asserts: "openDemocracy is committed to human rights and democracy. We aim to ensure that marginalised views and voices are heard. We believe facilitating argument and understanding across geographical boundaries is vital to preventing injustice".
openDemocracy has been funded by a number of philanthropic organisations, including the Ford Foundation
, the Atlantic Philanthropies
, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
, and other funders. Individual supporters have included Heidi Bergemann, John Cleese
, Carl Djerassi
, and Pamela Raspe, and Reinhard Hesse..
Today the principal columnists are Paul Rogers
(Global security), Li Datong
(China
from the inside), Mary Kaldor
(Human security
) and Daniele Archibugi
(Cosmopolitan Democracy
).
Founder Anthony Barnett, Charter 88 organiser and political entrepreneur, was the first editor (2001-2005) and Isabel Hilton
was editor from 2005-2007. She was succeeded by Rosemary Bechler who has been editor since 2010. The editor-in-chief is Tony Curzon Price
, with David Hayes as Deputy Editor. Anthony Barnett is currently editor of openDemocracy's UK politics section, OurKingdom and Oliver Carroll co-edits the Russia section, oD Russia, with Zygmunt Dzieciolowski.
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
for debate about international politics and culture, offering news and opinion articles from established academics, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s and policymakers covering current issues in world affairs. openDemocracy was founded in 2000 by Anthony Barnett, David Hayes, Susan Richards and Paul Hilder
Paul Hilder
Paul Hilder is a British-born social entrepreneur, writer and organiser. In 2000 he co-founded openDemocracy.net, a website for debate about global politics and culture. He helped launch the global web movement Avaaz.org in 2007, and served as one of its first campaign directors...
. Publishing started in May 2001.
Prominent contributors to the ezine have included Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
, George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Magan Ali is a Somali-Dutch feminist and atheist activist, writer, politician who strongly opposes circumcision and female genital cutting. She is the daughter of the Somali politician and opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse and is a founder of the women's rights organisation the AHA...
, Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, Sidney Blumenthal
Sidney Blumenthal
Sidney Blumenthal is a former aide to President of the United States Bill Clinton and a widely published American journalist, especially on American politics and foreign policy....
, Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
, Pierre Bourdieu
Pierre Bourdieu
Pierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher.Starting from the role of economic capital for social positioning, Bourdieu pioneered investigative frameworks and terminologies such as cultural, social, and symbolic capital, and the concepts of habitus, field or location,...
, Manuel Castells
Manuel Castells
Manuel Castells is a sociologist especially associated with information society and communication research....
, Fred Halliday
Fred Halliday
Frederick Halliday, FBA was an Irish writer and academic specialising in International Relations and the Middle East, with particular reference to the Cold War, Iran, and the Arabian peninsula.-Biography:Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1946 to an English father, businessman Arthur Halliday, and an...
, and David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
. openDemocracy's mission statement asserts: "openDemocracy is committed to human rights and democracy. We aim to ensure that marginalised views and voices are heard. We believe facilitating argument and understanding across geographical boundaries is vital to preventing injustice".
openDemocracy has been funded by a number of philanthropic organisations, including the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, the Atlantic Philanthropies
Atlantic Philanthropies
The Atlantic Philanthropies is a private foundation created in 1982 by US businessman Charles F. "Chuck" Feeney. The Atlantic Philanthropies grant-making supports health and social projects in Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam...
, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund , , is an international philanthropic organisation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was set up in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle of the five famous Rockefeller brothers: John D...
, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust is a philanthropic left-of-centre trust that chiefly supports work undertaken in the UK, Ireland and South Africa...
, and other funders. Individual supporters have included Heidi Bergemann, John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
, Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi is an Austrian-American chemist, novelist, and playwright best known for his contribution to the development of the first oral contraceptive pill . Djerassi is emeritus professor of chemistry at Stanford University.He participated in the invention in 1951, together with Mexican Luis E...
, and Pamela Raspe, and Reinhard Hesse..
Today the principal columnists are Paul Rogers
Paul Rogers (academic)
Paul Rogers is Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. He has worked in the field of international security, arms control and political violence for over 30 years...
(Global security), Li Datong
Li Datong
Li Datong was the Managing Editor of Freezing Point, a section of China Youth Daily. He was fired, and his popular column closed, because of a published letter condemning censorship and government intrusion into the press in China...
(China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
from the inside), Mary Kaldor
Mary Kaldor
Mary Kaldor is a British academic, currently Professor of Global Governance at the London School of Economics, where she is also the Director of its Centre for the Study of Global Governance. She has been a key figure in the development of cosmopolitan democracy...
(Human security
Human security
Human security is an emerging paradigm for understanding global vulnerabilities whose proponents challenge the traditional notion of national security by arguing that the proper referent for security should be the individual rather than the state...
) and Daniele Archibugi
Daniele Archibugi
Daniele Archibugi is an Italian economic and political theorist. He works on the economics and policy of innovation and technological change, on the political theory of international relations and on political and technological globalisation....
(Cosmopolitan Democracy
Cosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality. This is contrasted with communitarian and particularistic theories, especially the ideas of patriotism and nationalism...
).
Founder Anthony Barnett, Charter 88 organiser and political entrepreneur, was the first editor (2001-2005) and Isabel Hilton
Isabel Hilton
Isabel Nancy Hilton OBE is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster based in London.-Biography:She was educated at Edinburgh University where she studied Chinese to post-graduate level...
was editor from 2005-2007. She was succeeded by Rosemary Bechler who has been editor since 2010. The editor-in-chief is Tony Curzon Price
Tony Curzon Price
Tony Curzon Price, MA , PhD is an economist and entrepreneur educated at Lincoln College, Oxford and University College London...
, with David Hayes as Deputy Editor. Anthony Barnett is currently editor of openDemocracy's UK politics section, OurKingdom and Oliver Carroll co-edits the Russia section, oD Russia, with Zygmunt Dzieciolowski.