The catechism of the citizen: politics, law and religion in, after, with and against Rousseau

By Simon Crhichley
“(…) is politics conceivable without religion? The answer is obviously affirmative as the evidence of various secular political theories testifies. But is politics practicable without religion? That is the question. And that is the question that Rousseau’s thinking of politics faces. Can politics become effective as a way of shaping, motivating and mobilizing [...]

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A New Vision for the Summit of the Americas

By Jeffrey W. Rubin and Emma Sokoloff-Rubin
“Today, once again, the idea of equitable development doesn’t seem radical, but rather makes common sense. And the potential for a hemispheric alliance is stronger than ever. Democracies in Latin America have already produced innovative strategies for tackling tough problems, from racial exclusion to urban poverty to migration, and [...]

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A big opportunity for Obama and Lula

By Jeffrey Rubin and Emma Sokoloff-Rubin
“From the 1950s to the 1970s, the US government supported Latin
American militaries as they ousted democratic governments and tortured
opponents to silence dissent. In the 1980s, as Latin Americans
reconstructed fragile democracies, US leaders encouraged the new
governments to subscribe to the logic of unregulated markets. The
result was that people across the hemisphere [...]

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PURPLE PATCH: Democracy and the people

Eric Hobsbawm
Daily Times – Pakistan
November 24, 2008
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Excerpt:
(…) it is now clear that the utopia of a stateless, global laissez-faire market will not arrive. Most of the world’s population, and certainly those under liberal-democratic regimes deserving of the name, will continue to live in operationally effective states, even though in some unhappy regions state power [...]

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