6 INTERVIEW
It was important for British people to be able to have a conversation about the EU, and more generally to engage in politics in a meaningful way.
After several decades of what seemed to be effective democracy-promotion, the concept of democracy may be losing its appeal in the international arena: on the one hand, authoritarian states have shown that democracy is not necessary for economic growth, while on the other, the existence of democratic institutions has not guaranteed democratic outcomes for many people. The theme for the 2016 edition of Debating Development— an annual series of debates organised by IOB and USOS— was
What Future for Democracy?, and it delved into some of these questions about the value of democracy headon. It was one of the best attended editions of Debating Development in its 14-year history. Yet in the early part of 2016 when the theme was chosen and the debates were planned, the organizers had no idea of some of the surprising twists and turns for democracy that lay ahead. Here, we take a closer look at three instances in 2016 where the outcomes of democratic processes surprised the world.
The Brexit
It’ s a cliché to say that the world is now more interconnected than ever; yet beneath this truism lurks an interesting paradox. While borders are said to be dissipating in the wake of globalization and Internet-enabled communications technology, a rising sense of nationalism is buoying populist movements set on resurrecting traditional borders. The question of immigration in Europe— driven in part by the ongoing crisis in Syria— has ignited a movement to
Exchange to change January 2017