Democracy and society | 29.09.2025 Prizes without freedom risk becoming trophies of hypocrisy This year’s Václav Havel Prize must signal the Council of Europe to turn praise of courage into action against autocrats, even within its own ranks
Who owns the green transition? Europe’s decarbonisation policies risk deepening inequality unless labour is placed at their centre
Endgame regime change? Many believe that a new regime will automatically fix Iran’s crises. But without civic education and social reform, democracy won’t stand
Can the US afford to leave NATO? NATO may no longer suit America’s neo-isolationists — but leaving the Alliance would exact a price history has yet to calculate