Ideas
Ideas, New in Ceasefire, Profiles - Thursday, October 28, 2010 0:00 - 13 Comments
Profile: Slavoj Žižek – The Dog’s Bollocks … at the Media Dinner Party
In an exclusive essay, Paul Taylor explains why Slavoj Žižek stands out so forcefully from the conventional commentariat and debunks two frequently voiced objections to his work – the obscene humour and his refusal to provide ready-made solutions for the problems he so readily identifies.
Ideas, New in Ceasefire - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 5:36 - 11 Comments
Politics | ‘Ricin!’: the plot that never was
In January 2003, the world media erupted with news of how a deadly Al-Qaeda poison attack on London had been foiled. The story was soon part of Colin Powell's infamous presentation to the UN. But when matters came to trial, a very different picture emerged. In an exclusive essay, Lawrence Archer, foreman of the jury, shows how a minor story was "shamelessly distorted by government, media and security forces" to push their own agendas.
Ideas, New in Ceasefire, Special Reports - Tuesday, October 12, 2010 7:48 - 4 Comments
Special Report The ugly side of hospitality
As a recession induced by the financial sector takes its toll on the public, more and more people are turning to temporary and part-time work. What’s it like to work in a temporary job in the UK, without a contract, being paid cash in hand? Jumanah Younis spent 3 weeks finding out – and discovered a dark side to employment in Britain.
Diary of a Domestic Extremist, Ideas, New in Ceasefire - Wednesday, October 6, 2010 2:00 - 49 Comments
Diary of a Domestic Extremist: Why I hate activism
What does it really mean to be an "activist"? Are activists deluding themselves about being agents of radical change? In an impassioned polemic, Mikhail Goldman argues that today's activist movements, far from being the creative, truly revolutionary wave they purport to be, risk becoming, themselves, agents of bigotry, sexism, and elitism.
Ideas, Interviews - Thursday, September 30, 2010 0:00 - 9 Comments
Interview">Mark Fisher: “Crises of Capitalism won’t in and of themselves deliver a better world” Interview
Mark Fisher’s book 'Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?'is a persuasive diagnosis of contemporary society, an analysis of its political impasses and a call for fresh organization and thought. In a wide-ranging interview, from Spinoza to Deleuze to Wall-E, from Supernanny to post-autonomist theory, Ceasefire's Alex Andrews talked to Mark Fisher about his book, education, the internet and the prospect of moving beyond capitalist realism.
Ideas, Interviews - Thursday, September 23, 2010 9:41 - 12 Comments
Interview Noam Chomsky (2010)
In an exclusive major interview, Noam Chomsky, considered by many to be the world's greatest public intellectual, responds to questions posed by Ceasefire Editor Hicham Yezza on the Middle East, global warming, the financial crisis, the future of the left, Iran, and on why all states are unacceptable.
Columns, Ideas, In Theory - Friday, September 10, 2010 3:25 - 11 Comments
In Theory Why Deleuze (still) matters: States, war-machines and radical transformation
In the latest of his 'In Theory' columns, political theorist Andrew Robinson examines a crucial segment within the extensive and monumental legacy of Giles Deleuze. In his piece, Robinson shows how Deleuze's own subversion of theoretical assumptions has been often misread, and misapplied, by disciples and foes alike. In particular, Robinson addresses one of Deleuze's central concepts, that of the 'War Machine'.
Features, Ideas, Music & Dance - Sunday, August 29, 2010 23:54 - 7 Comments
Formed a band? Made a record? Now what?
Every starting band knows the situation: you record something, spend more than you can afford on getting a few hundred professionally-printed copies made, and then you spend ages wait for sales that never come. As someone who's seen it all before, Alex Andrews shares top 5 tips on how to sell your record the clever way.
Columns, Features, Ideas, In Theory - Friday, August 13, 2010 13:30 - 4 Comments
In Theory We come in peace – shoot to kill: On the perils of peacekeeping
The creation of the UN, sixty years ago, has introduced the concept of "international peacekeeping" into the public lexicon. The UN peacekeeping missions are now regular features of news bulletins from conflict zones. And yet, both in its theoretical underpinnings and its practical manifestations, peacekeeping remains a highly problematic idea. Political theorist Andrew Robinson presents the many issues surrounding the idea of peacekeeping, and conducts an impassioned and lucid analysis of how peacekeeping efforts often get things wrong, and what needs to be done to set them right.Features, Ideas, Politics - Wednesday, August 11, 2010 11:02 - 3 Comments
Think Big! In defence of ideology
The protracted aftermath of the worst world recession in living memory has seen not a fundamental questioning of the basic ideological premises of liberal capitalism, but a call for technocratic, ideologically "neutral" solutions instead. Is this another failure of the left to seize the moment and present a credible alternative? Alex Andrews bemoans the growing reticence towards big ideologically-driven programmes and says thinking big is the only thinking worth doing.
