There is a paradox in climate justice today. It is that we must be highly focused on local, short-term campaigns to even have a chance of achieving our goals, which are usually at the global scale (curb global warming, put an end to rising sea levels, etc.). Having participated in an XR local chapter in Lille, France for five months, I wrote this post to explore three characteristics of XR more broadly, which I believe can help environmental movements navigate this great paradox. […]

Last fall, I participated in the Copenhagen People Power Forum, which brought together movement leaders from all over the world to speak with leaders in public, private and humanitarian sectors to critique and advise the forms their solidarity with movements can take. It was an immense effort toward globalizing our struggles, but as with any other recent global gatherings, many invitees from Africa and elsewhere were unable to attend because of visa denials/delays at destination and transitory country embassies. […]

Mohsen Sazegara has been a social media influencer since before it became a thing. Having started his YouTube channel in June 2009 to share knowledge and resources on nonviolent action in Farsi, he pre-dates nearly every pioneer of the influencer phenomenon. But Mohsen’s influence has nothing to do with the fashion or fitness industries. The only “brand” he represents is nonviolent revolution for rights, freedom and democracy. […]

On May 14, 2023, Thai democracy made history. Two opposition parties—Move Forward and Pheu Thai—gained the most and the second most votes in the national election, defeating all pro-establishment parties, particularly the United Thai Nation Party led by former coup protagonist and Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-ocha. This electoral blow has major implications on a possible democracy pushback against growing autocratization in Thailand and other countries. It also showcases a pathway of collaboration between pro-democracy nonviolent movements and opposition parties. […]

With Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform on hold since Monday, the country’s population finds itself not at ease but only at a new crossroads in their struggle to protect their country’s democracy. A multi-sector strike, more than 12 weeks of intensifying protests, and dissent and defections among Israeli officials on numerous fronts… since the beginning of this year, Israel has been experiencing its largest demonstrations in a decade. […]

زیر سایه بسیاری از خبرهای رسانه‌ای، و در حالی که هدف شدید‌ترین سرکوب‌ها قرار گرفته است، انقلاب ملی ایران برای رسیدن به سکولار دموکراسی مطلوبش در حرکت است. این انقلاب در حالی در سراسر ایران ریشه می‌دواند وارد پنجمین ماه خود شده است. علی‌ رغم سرکوب‌های شدید و بی‌رحمانه رژیم، گستره اعتراضات چه به لحاظ جغرافیایی و چه به لحاظ مشارکت اقشار مختلف در حال گسترش است. مسئله‌ای که نشان می‌دهد رژیم در حال از دست دادن قدرت و کنترل اوضاع است.

Shadowed by many breaking headlines and increasingly brutal repression, the Iranian revolution for secular democracy continues to forge ahead. Soon in its fifth month, the uprising has taken root across Iran. Its widening geographic spread and deepening diversity of participants have been met with an intensified crackdown ordered by the Islamic regime–evidence that its grip on power is slipping. […]

The 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the monarchy of Iran, and an Islamic dictatorship was established in its place. Over the ensuing four decades, people have nonviolently defied the regime and challenged its policies. However, because of the lack of communication channels with the free world, combined with the military power of the regime, the people have not been able to spread their voices. Until now… On September 16, 2022, Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman, died in custody of the Morality Police after being detained for allegedly breaking the law requiring women to wear the hijab. […]

The protest outside Belfast City Hall in June 2022 was a moving display of solidarity with activists in the United States in the bleak aftermath of the overturning of Roe v Wade. It was also yet another grassroots gathering in the ongoing struggle for abortion access in Northern Ireland. Despite three years having passed since the repeal of harsh, historic legislation that criminalized abortion, a de facto political blockade still prevents women from receiving rights-compliant healthcare. […]