Dossiers
Europe
The Legacy of Jürgen Habermas
Benhabib, Bosetti, Habermas, Schwering September/September 2026
Global markets expand, societies fragment, and democracy risks hollowing out. It is within this tension—already central to Jürgen Habermas’s early reflections on mass media and the gradual “refeudalization” of the public sphere—that his legacy acquires renewed urgency. This dossier traces that trajectory, bringing together an obituary by Giancarlo Bosetti, an interview with Seyla Benhabib, and a selection of Habermas’s own writings from the Reset DOC and Reset’s archives. Across these contributions, a coherent thread emerges: that of a thinker who broke with both the illusions of Marxist statism and the lingering shadows of nazi totalitarianism, and who instead insisted on the fragile yet demanding foundations of democratic life grounded in communication among free and equal citizens.
  • The Far Right’s Ascent in Europe
    Across Europe, far-right parties are gaining ground like never before since World War II, reshaping political landscapes and cultural narratives. From coalition governments to influential parliamentary blocs, their rise reflects deep-seated shifts in societal dynamics. What factors have fueled this surge? How have traditional parties and evolving cultural identities contributed to the far right’s growing appeal? What does it mean for Europe’s future? This dossier delves into the complex dynamics behind the far right’s ascent and the challenges it presents to European democracy.  
  • Russia-Ukraine: Is There Any Room for Compromise?
    Where does the current crisis come from, and can there be any political solution? Five world-renowned post-Sovietic geopolitics scholars and journalists respond in this Dossier derived from the recent Reset DOC roundtable: José Casanova, Andrea Graziosi, Nataliya Gumeniuk, Alexander Motyl and Frank Sysyn.
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    French Laïcité, Freedom of Speech and the Return of the Islamist Threat
    The terrorist murder of French professor Samuel Paty in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine in autumn 2020 has re-opened a heated debate concerning the liberty of teaching, freedom of expression, and the role of secularism in a pluralist society. What is the specific nature of French laïcité, and how has it changed over time since its juridical establishment in 1905? How does it compare with other Western approaches to secularism and, most critically, with Muslim perspectives on the matter? Why has this provoked a diplomatic dispute between France and Turkey, and more broadly the boycott of French products in many Muslim countries?
  • America and the Fight Against Racism After George Floyd
    Today’s world and tomorrow’s America don’t look the same as they did one month ago. If that is the case, socially and politically, it is not just because of the “revolutionary” power of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has demonstrated its ability to disrupt well-established political leaderships, but also because of a different, human-moved force of change: the global anti-racist revolt which has followed George Floyd’s murder. How will it impact on the US, four months short of a crucial election, and the world? A kaleidoscope of stories, voices and perspectives in this special ResetDoc Dossier.
  • A Thousand Lessons from the Berlin Wall
    Some historical events do not stop releasing their powerful lessons even years or decades later. That is beyond doubt the case with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the rest of the chain of events which marked the collapse of the Soviet system over 1989. Its significance for Europe, and for ourselves, still merits being investigated thirty years later. That is what this Dossier tries to do, with the accounts and reflections by Riccardo Cristiano, Simone Disegni, Marta Facchini, Siegmund Ginzberg, and Lorenzo Monfregola.
  • Is Orange the New Black? New Far-Right in the Netherlands
    In the country once famous for its multiculturalism and its civil rights, today the wind seems to have changed. A new extreme right has appeared and risks changing the political landscape at the next European elections. Thierry Baudet, the leader of the Forum for Democracy, is educated, dandy, histrionic, quotes philosophers and speaks to young people and citizens. In the Dutch populist competition, it seems that Geert Wilders’ star has found a worthy competitor.
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