A Short guide to the British general elections - for Americans
01.28.15 | Published on Medium, January 28th 2015 Americans may just about have heard that Britain is to go to the polls to elect a new parliament in less than 100 days. Much about British politics is extremely obtuse and muddling, even to Brits. So here’s a short guide that may help pierce the fog. First of all, “Britain” in this case means the United Kingdom which means England, Scotland (yes, still), Wales and Northern Ireland. It does not mean “England”. This isn’t mean to be patronizing: until I... more
"The Imitation Game" is a travesty
01.27.15 | “The Imitation Game” is a really bad film. It traduces our collective political, scientific and social history. It is fiction when the facts matter. There are three reasons why “The Imitation Game” is awful: Firstly, it caricatures the incredibly important story of Alan Turing, the brilliant — and secretly gay — British mathematician who helped decrypt Enigma, the German code machine, in World War Two. In the film, Turing is reduced into a polemical argument: a cruelly mistreated gay genius... more
Short Notes on #CharlieHebdo, published 11 Jan 15 (also in French)
01.12.15 | Published in Medium, 150111 There’s a lot to think about. Some preliminary reflections for today: Islamist terrorism is a non-state phenomenon. It is transnational, transcends borders etc.. This suggests that the most effective response may be non-state too i.e. one mounted by the enormous majority, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, who reject such violence. People not states. Today’s huge demonstrations might be a start, and may dissuade some of those who might otherwise have chosen violence. Other... more
The privilege and nightmare of contemplating the future: My LongPlayer letter to John Burnside
12.09.14 | Some time ago Esther Dyson chose to write to me as part of a series of letters organised by the Artangel arts group for the Long Now Foundation.  Letter writers were invited to consider the future - including up to 10,000 years hence (the perspective that the Long Now Foundation seeks to encourage).  I chose to send my letter to the poet John Burnside.  This is my letter:   From: Carne Ross, New York City To: John Burnside, Berlin 8 December 2014 Dear John, We are bidden to... more
Independence Referendums for Everyone: article in Al Jazeera America
10.20.14 | From Al Jazeera America:   How Scotland’s vote revealed the need for a deeper revolution October 19, 2014 2:00AM ET by Carne Ross @carneross Following Scotland’s recent independence referendum, I felt overcome with envy. How I wished I could have a referendum too. I want to discuss who runs my future. I want the right to decide. I clearly am not the only one to feel this way, and I expect more referendums of this kind in the future. Catalonia — which my firm,... more
How Scotland's Yes Campaign won even when it lost (Washington Post analysis quoting CR)
09.25.14 |

The Washington Post recently published this discussion of self-determination in the aftermath of the Scottish referendum, quoting my views a few times.  Here's the article:

The Washington Post recently published this discussion of self-determination in the aftermath of the Scottish referendum, quoting my views a few times.  Here's the article: How Scotland's Yes Campaign Won even when it Lost By Ishaan Tharoor September 19 Look past the noise that surrounded Scotland's independence referendum, which ended in a victory for those who favored remaining united with Britain. Push to a side the arguments over currency, the doubts over North Sea... more
Ideas for "The Accidental Anarchist"
09.15.14 | Liam Barrington-Bush, the researcher for the forthcoming documentary "The Accidental Anarchist", is collecting ideas for the film.  He's looking for contemporary examples of non-hierarchical and autonomous organization, both politically and in the workplace, such as participatory democratic processes and cooperatives.  If you have suggestions, please submit them here.  Thank you! more
Good short interview on The Leaderless Revolution
09.01.14 |

Steve Adubato had me on his "One on One" show talking about The Leaderless Revolution in 2013. It's a good short interview on the main ideas of the book. more
Politics and the Trust Conundrum (OECD Yearbook)
09.01.14 | Rather remarkably, the OECD invited me to write - and then printed! - an article about trust and government. The article can be found here (http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/4371/Politics_and_the...) and is pasted here. Politics and the trust conundrum Carne Ross, Founder and Executive Director, Independent Diplomat There’s a very obvious remedy for governments that wish to restore the public’s trust: become transparent, honest and inclusive. This, however, is intrinsically... more
Iraq exposes the west's hypocrisy in the Middle East: my oped in The Guardian
08.12.14 | The Guardian asked me for my views on US military intervention in northern Iraq. I took the chance to propose a new doctrine for western policy in the Middle East. (gu.com/p/4vk68/tw). Here's the text: A friend from Pristina once told me that the happiest day of his life was when he heard Nato cruise missiles over his home town. This was in 1999 when Nato intervened from the air to stop the Serb campaign to drive Albanians from Kosovo. Often military intervention is wrong, but sometimes it is... more