The crisis of 2008 is a consequence of the pervasive impact of market-driven policy. A new idea of the state is needed

How the fears of Ireland's voters could shape the European Union's destiny 

Guy Aitchison (CML): The Convention on Modern Liberty (blogged below by Tom) launched on Facebook today. If you’re a member please join the Group here. We intend Facebook to be one of the main ways through which we organise and communicate with people about the Convention. I went for a Group rather than a FB Page to start with because of the advantages it offers in terms of messaging members directly to their inboxes and growing the group through invites. Do join the Convention Group, invite your friends and anyone who might be interested and get involved on the discussion boards where I have started a few threads. You can also follow the Convention on Twitter.  And if you're a blogger who supports the Convention and its aims, why not add the Convention feed to your site? We hope to have a nice selection of widgets to choose from soon.   

The explosion of violence in Greece reflects a malaise of ideas as well of governance. (Here for a round-up of coverage on Greece)

A tradition of protest that goes back at least 35 years, if not 200; missed opportunites at reform; romanticisation of political violence; educated and frustrated youth. Nikos Konstandaras, Kostas Gemenis, Teo Kermeliotis and others.

Guy Aitchison (London, CML): NO2ID launch a new video campaign this week aimed at highlighting a disturbing aspect of the national identity register (the database at the heart of the preposterous "ID cards" scheme) that is frequently overlooked. "Take Jane" is a short video monologue by a mother fleeing an abusive husband out of fear for her safety and that of their daughter, Jane. She knows that easy access to her details via the thousands of officials that operate the database means it's only a matter of time before he finds them. As NO2ID say on their site: It is nearly certain the National Identity Register will be used, as many existing databases have already been, to harrass and to stalk individuals and to commit crimes against them. Because it is intended to be universal, because it will contain or connect to so much information, and because it will feed other official databases, the National Identity Register has much more potential for harm than the often patchy official records that already exist. The campaign will hopefully show the "nothing to hide" argument used by pro-ID advocates for the rubbish it is.

The financial crisis illuminates deeper shifts in the world's economic power-balance. It is time for a Global Strategic Council

A neglected dispute seems to resemble the Caucasus-Balkans - but close-up looks different

The G20 summit needs to match the progressive global ambitions of 1944-45. Step forward, Europe

France’s president has wider ambitions. He may be reminded that all politics is local

The assumptions that guided earlier American policies towards Europe no longer apply

The way the first world war is remembered closes as well as opens doors to the past

The world's financial, governance, climate and power problems are part of a single challenge

The visceral art of Francis Bacon exposes the shallow godlessness of the new atheists

The trial of agents of Turkey's “deep state” is making its military and its politicians nervous

An influential Turkish network fuses faith and modernity in search of a new social order

"Gomorrah", a fearless anatomy of Napoli's mafia, also exposes the new face of global crime    

Two crises - the financial crash and climate change - reveal two faces of Europe

After his death, the appeal of Austria's rightwing populist leader will find new channels

A tense region and authoritarian domestic politics limit the space for progress in Yerevan

  Only four years ago Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Timoshenko were close political allies. Their Orange Revolution impressed the whole world. Their bitter rivalry now led to snap parliamentary elections scheduled for 7 December.

The financial crisis is causing political tensions in Europe. The response will be - more integration 

The far-right advance in Austria’s election is a test for the polity but a burden for the country

Alexander Lukashenka has won a total victory. But is that what Belarus's president wanted?

The failure of an economic ideology is also a challenge to create a new progressive politics

The Georgia-Russia war provokes European governments into surprising initiatives

The Russia-Georgia conflict is global as well as regional. How to avoid a new era of confrontation?

The "poisoned umbrella" murder on 11 September 1978 silenced a brave voice and still flouts justice

The Georgia-Russia crisis is a challenge to Europe to make its own foreign policy tell

Georgia must turn to the past to find the future