A grim portrait of suffering inside the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo - with persistent barrel bombings, attacks on hospitals and the use of chemical weapons - has been unveiled to the UN Security Council.

Technology and the public sector have rarely been happy bedfellows in the UK, where every government technology project seems doomed to arrive late, unperform and come in over budget. The Government Digital Service (GDS) was created to drag the civil service into the 21st century, making services “digital by default”,…

This article is part of the Democracy Futures series, a joint global initiative with the Sydney Democracy Network. The project aims to stimulate fresh thinking about the many challenges facing democracies in the 21st century.

With 2 million terrified citizens trapped and brutal fighting continuing, UN-backed talks in August seem impossible

This article is part of the Democracy Futures series, a joint global initiative with the Sydney Democracy Network. The project aims to stimulate fresh thinking about the many challenges facing democracies in the 21st century. This is part two of an essay on humility’s value for democracy in dark times.…

The dividing line of terrorism runs through the global Islamic State movement -- not around it. A must-read Crikey essay.