Minds of the Movement

An ICNC blog on the people and power of civil resistance

News, Insights, Thoughts

Articles

“Small” People, Big Circumstances: Film Storytelling of Civil Resistance in Occupied Ukraine

How do I begin a story I wish I never had to write? I ask myself this not to break the curse of the blank page—I genuinely do not know. Just like four years ago I did not know the difference between the sound of a russian missile being shot down versus the sound of one hitting its target. Being Ukrainian now means learning things you never thought you would need. And doing things you never thought you had the guts to do. […]

 

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Water Struggles in Kenya: Inequality, Exclusion, and Collective Resistance

At dawn in Nairobi’s informal settlements, water is already being bought and sold—often at prices higher than in the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods. For many residents, access to water begins not with a tap, but with a transaction. Yet these daily experiences of exclusion have also produced resistance. Across Kenya, grassroots organizations, women’s collectives, and social justice centres are organizing to challenge unfair pricing, defend shared water sources, and push for more accountable and equitable water systems. […]

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Une mission de paix pas comme les autres : témoignages d’un militant basque en Casamance.

Après 3 longues et dures années de préparation, la mission de paix en Casamance a finalement eu lieu en novembre 2025. Txetx, militant indépendantiste depuis des dizaines d’années, en était l’acteur principal. Il fût parmi les militants basques les plus impliqués dans le processus de désarmement de l’ETA notamment au sein des « Artisans de la paix ». […]

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Ukrainian Freedom Special Series

Foreword for the Ukrainian Freedom Journal

This is the fourth winter of the full-scale invasion. And it is very difficult. Russian ballistic missiles and drones deliberately target the energy grid, the very infrastructure that civilians depend on for survival. In January and February, temperatures plunge to minus 20 degrees Celsius in the country. Ukrainian cities are literally freezing. Millions of people have interrupted or no access to heat, water, or electricity. The UN has classified Russia’s actions as crimes against humanity. […]

 

 

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Vohibola, Madagascar: Resisting without Weapons, Persevering without Exhaustion.

I am writing these lines from a place where beauty and fear coexist. Protecting the Vohibola forest has been part of my life for years, and yet every day I wonder how long it is possible to hold out without losing oneself. I continue because giving up would be more painful than fear.

In eastern Madagascar, on the edge of the Indian Ocean, the Vohibola coastal forest is one of the last remaining intact forests of its kind. For local communities, it is not just an ecosystem to be preserved.  […]

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Vohibola, Madagascar : Résister sans Armes, durer sans S’épuiser.

J’écris ces lignes depuis un endroit où la beauté et la peur coexistent. Protéger la forêt de Vohibola fait partie de ma vie depuis des années, et pourtant, chaque jour, je me demande jusqu’où il est possible de tenir sans se perdre soi-même. Je continue parce que renoncer serait plus douloureux que la peur.

À l’est de Madagascar, en bordure de l’océan Indien, la forêt littorale de Vohibola est l’une des dernières forêts de ce type encore intactes. […]

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Ukrainian Freedom Special Series

The Anatomy of National Survival: Collective Agency and Civil Society in Ukrainian Defense

Russia’s war against Ukraine is widely described as a war of attrition, fought not only on the battlefield, but across political, economic, social, and informational domains. In such a war, national survival depends on more than the strength of the armed forces. It also depends on whether society itself can withstand prolonged pressure, adapt under extreme conditions, and recover while the conflict is still ongoing. In Ukraine, civil society has become a decisive factor in this struggle. […]

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Ukrainian Freedom Special Series

Narrative Power in Nonviolent Resistance: How the Ukrainian Diaspora is Changing the Strategies

As the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year, Ukrainian resistance has mostly been viewed through the prism of its military capabilities. Yet, Ukrainian resistance goes far beyond the battlefield fronts, and the Ukrainian diaspora has played an essential role in the resistance by countering narratives, channeling resources, and mobilizing non-Ukrainian actors to their cause through protests, lobbying, academia, culture, and social media. […]

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Ukrainian Freedom Special Series

Ukraine’s Resilience Model: Purposeful Stakeholder Collaboration over Keeping the Socially Valuable Core

Since 2022, Russia’s war of aggression has unleashed overlapping crises—attacks on civilians, destruction of infrastructure, mass displacement, and economic downturn. Many assume such emergencies demand strict central control. Ukraine’s experience shows the opposite: resilience has come from polycentric governance—state and non-state actors working together, drawing on local knowledge, pooling resources, and strengthening social cohesion. […]

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Ukrainian Freedom Special Series

The DNA of Civil Resistance in Ukraine: Keys to the Development of Civilian-Based Defense Systems 

The transformation of contemporary conflicts reflects the profound crisis of the international order. The intensification of hybrid warfare—characterized by the combined use of non-military tactics, technological tools, and multidimensional strategies operating in the so-called “grey zone”—challenges traditional security frameworks and constrains state responses. Instruments such as disinformation, cyber warfare, and economic coercion do not operate in isolation; they aim to destabilize from within, eroding social cohesion and paralyzing institutional responses. […]

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