A Mediterranean Cold War
February 20, 2026
The Franco-Algerian relationship continues to face strain under the weight of its past.
Pamina Barthas
Free speech the Right way
February 23, 2026
As this issue is published, the longstanding democratic principles of free speech are being eroded around the world. The ability to speak up, challenge, argue, or decry is now increasingly met with violence, unprecedented in Western democracies. Nationwide protests against the ICE killings in Minneapolis are taking the United States by storm, inflaming the heated political climate of the last decade. 30,000 protesters have been silenced in Tehran for challenging the regime, while those remaining remain isolated from the rest of the world, as any instrument of online communication is blocked. The recent elections in Uganda gave president Museveni his seventh term in office as opposition forces were suppressed and jailed.
In moments such as these, the defence of freedom of speech becomes inseparable from the defence of democracy itself.
As John Stuart Mill argued, the suppression of an opinion harms society as a whole: if the silenced voice is right, we are denied the truth; if wrong, we are denied the chance to refine our own beliefs.
Agorà is rooted in this understanding.
It was conceived as a space where young minds can express, challenge and inquire openly. Its purpose is to ensure that voices, especially those that question our society, are heard. The article “Seen from Caracas” epitomises this ethos; a Venezuelan student given the opportunity to account the repression her people face despite the recent deposition of Nicolás Maduro.
In an era marked by censorship, choosing to speak is an act of resistance that we must not take for granted. Indeed, the Venezuelan student's need for anonymity exemplifies the censorious nature of our current international order, a nature which Agorà stands firmly against: dialogue is not a threat, but a foundation.
It is in light of these world-defining events, Agorà continues to search for new perspectives, regardless of whether or not it agrees with them, to develop knowledge and exchange of ideas.
We hope that this edition gives you a fresh take on the continuous changes that this world is experiencing.
Luca Ortona, Co-Director
Vittoria Verdecchia, Co-Director
