Mediating Mass Movements

Mediating Mass Movements

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

By: Maria J. Stephan

People power is a defining feature of our time. In 2019, movements in Sudan and Algeria forced entrenched military dictators from power. In Hong Kong, millions of citizens have taken to the streets to demand democratic self-rule. Chile, Colombia, Lebanon and Iraq faced popular uprisings by citizens railing against corruption, government incompetence and dysfunctional political and economic systems. These protests are happening at a time of resurgent authoritarianism, marked by a 13-year global decline in civil and political rights and an erosion of the rule of law. Widening inequality, rampant corruption, and the fraying of social contracts between governments and their citizens are at the roots of many of these conflicts.

Type: Analysis

Nonviolent Action

Thailand’s Political Protests Wade into Unprecedented Territory

Thailand’s Political Protests Wade into Unprecedented Territory

Thursday, September 3, 2020

By: Brian Harding

Thailand’s recent protests have burgeoned into a powerful movement that is challenging the country’s longstanding social and political orders. Along with calls for democratic and constitutional reform, many Thai youth and activists have begun openly criticizing the monarchy’s role in public life—something that has long been unthinkable in a country where the monarchy plays a central role in society. USIP’s Brian Harding examines what sparked these unprecedented demonstrations, the resistance protesters have faced from Thailand’s powerful military and government, and where the movement might lead.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & GovernanceNonviolent Action

What’s Next for the Peaceful Uprising in Belarus?

What’s Next for the Peaceful Uprising in Belarus?

Thursday, August 27, 2020

By: Anushka Bose;  Jonathan Pinckney, Ph.D.

Recent weeks have seen a massive outpouring of peaceful public protest in Belarus after an election widely believed to be fraudulent. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets to demand that longtime authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka step down and another democratic election be held.

Type: Analysis

Nonviolent ActionDemocracy & Governance

Five Things to Know About Mali’s Coup

Five Things to Know About Mali’s Coup

Thursday, August 27, 2020

By: Emily Fornof;  Emily Cole

On August 18, rising tensions to boiled over into a mutiny, leading to the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. This dramatic chain of events followed three months of protests, calling for Keita’s resignation. As the country grapples with an intractable insurgency and eight years of instability, anger over the government’s failure to resolve conflict, respect democratic norms, and provide basic services pushed citizens and the military to their boiling point. What comes next in Mali over the coming months could have significant implications for the country’s democracy and on the stability of the Sahel.

Type: Analysis

Justice, Security & Rule of LawDemocracy & GovernanceNonviolent Action

COVID Raises the Stakes for Zimbabwe’s Civil Society Movement

COVID Raises the Stakes for Zimbabwe’s Civil Society Movement

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

By: Miranda Rivers;  Precious Ndlovu

Countries worldwide that suffer or risk violent conflicts face a new hazard amid the COVID-19 pandemic: governments’ use of the disease as a pretext to curtail democratic freedoms and punish opposition. As COVID has spread across Africa, Zimbabwe is emerging as one of the countries most vulnerable to the disease—and most illustrative of its threat to peace and democratization efforts on the continent. Two and a half years after a military coup installed President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his government has used the health crisis to arrest members of the opposition and journalists, and divert humanitarian aid to ruling party supporters.

Type: Analysis

Global HealthNonviolent Action

Jonathan Pinckney on Social Movements and Coronavirus

Jonathan Pinckney on Social Movements and Coronavirus

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

By: Jonathan Pinckney, Ph.D.

Coronavirus has led to a 70 percent decline in public protests worldwide compared to last year—but this doesn’t mean social movements are going away. “There are literally hundreds of other tactics … to express dissent while still following social distancing guidelines,” says USIP’s Jonathan Pinckney.

Type: Podcast

Global HealthNonviolent Action

Amid Coronavirus, Online Activism Confronts Digital Authoritarianism

Amid Coronavirus, Online Activism Confronts Digital Authoritarianism

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

By: Jonathan Pinckney, Ph.D.

As the COVID-19 pandemic expands, many social movements have had to drastically rethink their strategies. Movements that previously relied on the visibility and disruption of street protests have either been forced off the streets by quarantine restrictions or have voluntarily ended public protests to protect public health. Yet, this significant reduction in public protests does not mean that movements have gone away.

Type: Analysis

Global HealthNonviolent Action

SNAP: Synergizing Nonviolent Action and Peacebuilding (Arabic)

SNAP: Synergizing Nonviolent Action and Peacebuilding (Arabic)

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

By: Nadine Bloch;  Lisa Schirch

يسعى هذا الدّليل إلى إقامة جسور تواصل بين العاملين في مجال بناء السّلام من جهة والناشطين في مجالات التّحرّك غير العنيف من جهة أخرى. ويستعرض أساليب العمل المتاحة في كلا المجالين بصورةٍ إستراتيجيّةٍ وفعّالةٍ للمساهمة في تحويل النزاع. ويُبيِّن الدّليل طريقة تحقيق التّضافر بين الحوار ومهارات التّحرّك المباشر والمقاربات من أجل خدمة العدالة والسّلام المستدامين. أعدّ هذا الدّليل ليوضع بتصرّف المدرّبين والمُيسِّرين وسائر الأشخاص المتعاملين مع المنظمات والناشطين والوسطاء والمفاوضين وبناة السّلام الذين يرغبون في معرفة المزيد بشأن طريقة الدّمج بين إستراتيجيّات التّحرّك غير العنيف وبناء السّلام في عملهم.

Type: Toolkit

Nonviolent Action

Nonviolent Action in the Time of Coronavirus

Nonviolent Action in the Time of Coronavirus

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

By: Jonathan Pinckney, Ph.D.;  Miranda Rivers

Last year saw a wave of nonviolent action movements, mostly relying on tactics of large public protests and sit-ins as people took to the streets from Hong Kong to Chile to demand greater democracy, economic equality, and social justice. Some of these movements, like the revolution that successfully ousted Sudan’s longtime authoritarian ruler Omar al-Bashir, achieved many of their goals. Others, like the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, were still seeking major demands from the government when news of the rapid spread of a novel coronavirus began coming out of central China.

Type: Analysis

Global HealthNonviolent Action

The Challenges for Social Movements in Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe

The Challenges for Social Movements in Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

By: Gladys Kudzaishe Hlatywayo;  Charles Mangongera

Civil society and social movements have long been at the center of pushing back against corruption and authoritarian practices. Zimbabwe was no exception in the run-up to the November 2017 coup d’état that ousted Robert Mugabe after four decades of unaccountable rule. This report, based on in-country interviews and focus group discussions, examines the transition that followed the coup to draw broader lessons for how the international community can support, without harming, grassroots nonviolent action initiatives in countries undergoing profound political shifts.

Type: Special Report

Nonviolent Action