Big brother is back

The collapse of Soviet communism seemed to herald victory for democracy over despotism, but the rise of new surveillance states powered by the digital communication which once threatened to defeat them is a threat to us all.

Fact checking isn’t the answer to ‘post truth’ politics

Democracy is a living reminder that truths are never self-evident, and that what counts as truth is a matter of interpretation. Recognising that in political life “truth has a despotic character”, democracy stands for a world beyond truth and post-truth.

Democracy and populism

We’re witnessing the rise of populist leaders around the globe. John Keane, Professor of Politics and co-founder and director of the Sydney Democracy Network (SDN), explains why we need something more radically democratic to turn this around.