Stories

ANKARA
NEWS: Two Turkish Cities Are Finalists for 'European Capital of Democracy'
Ankara and Denizli Join Brussels and Tirana on Short List
ADDIS ABABA
NEWSLETTER: The Planetocracy Is Coming, So Wear Your White Hats
Also: Impact Investing Against Democracy; Sub-Saharan Local Covenant; Cat-Mayor-Martyr
CHERNOBYL
ZÓCALO Farming in Ukraine Is an Act of Resistance
 Russia Seized or Contaminated Millions of Hectares. Demining & Rebuilding Have Already Begun
Public domain via Wikimedia, Press Information Department - pressinform.gov.bd
DHAKA
READINGS: Is the 'July Charter' a New Opening for Local Power?
4 Charter Items in Bangladesh Open Doors to Local Autonomy—and Stronger Finance
Photo by Joe Mathews
BARCELONA
NEWSLETTER 'City as Mesh.' Global Municipal Bank. Can Locals...
ALSO: History in LA; Silence Beats Monuments; Synthetic Democracy
Member Spotlight
From Gezi to Today: A Generation Refusing to Be Silent in Türkiye’s...
For a generation of young people in Türkiye, democracy has never been something settled. It has been...
Member Story
Beyond Solidarity: The Complex Reality of Integrating 4 Million Ukrainian...
Three years after the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive, EU member states face diverging...
Member Story
Censorship Around the World: The Cases of Türkiye, Myanmar & the...
The deliberate suppression or restriction of access to certain parts of works, or entire works, deemed...
compiled by Joe Mathews with Google Gemini
WATCHING
COLUMN One Local Place After Another
A Prize-Winning Film Gets Local Geography Wrong—And Grabs Tax Credits
BRUSSELS
EVENT What If Citizens Could Shape Climate Policy?
In Brussels, March 2-3
Local Citizens' Panel in Latvia
Community Resilience, Active Citizenship and Solidarity: Recommendations...
The EU for Global National Citizen’s Panel in Riga, Latvia took place on 27 November 2025, hosted by Latvian...
TRINCOMALEE (SRI LANKA)
ASIA DEMOCRACY CHRONICLES When Faith and Politics Mix
A Land Dispute on Sri Lanka's East Coast Involves Buddhist Monks, Raises Tensions, Pressures President