In any analysis of what drove the Standing Rock camps to implode in the winter of 2016-2017, failing to deal with cultural or racial conflict and turning a blind eye toward internal violence were prominent triggers. This article distills recommendations that can help stave off some of the most vexing internal conflicts that can metastasize like cancers in civil resistance movements. […]
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What makes civil resistance movements effective? If funders and human rights organizations can identify key factors that answer this question, then their efforts can be oriented towards trying to support the development and growth of those factors. […]
What does a movement-centered support model look like? In this three-part series designed for human rights funders and organizations, ICNC President Hardy Merriman defines the term “movement”, focuses on civil resistance as a method by which movements create change, and offers insights on how organizations can equip themselves with an educational infrastructure for supporting movements.
In an age of fake news, in which conspiracy theories proliferate and spin doctors try to turn public attention away from major problems, it is ever more difficult to determine when an injustice is going on. Understanding the five techniques that perpetrators use to reduce outrage provide guidance for opposing injustice—for each technique, there is a counter-technique. […]
Since 2013, advocating boycotts on behalf of Palestinian rights has been illegal under Israeli law. Supporters and lobbyists for the Natanyahu government have also been working hard to pass similar laws in the United States. ICNC recently spoke about this criminalization of boycotts with Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh […]
In 2018, ICNC’s Minds of the Movement blog is rolling out a thematic series exploring important digital security questions that activists, organizers, and other practitioners often encounter in their civil resistance work. Not sure what encryption is or why it’s important to know about? Undecided about whether you should use Facebook to organize nonviolent actions? In need of a good starting point for understanding the digital security risks you and your nonviolent movement may face? Read on to learn more, and check back soon for additional posts in this series.
With the Arab Spring uprisings of 2010-2012 in our hindsight, Minds of the Movement decided to explore a begging question among academic and international observers: What are the long-term effects of civil resistance on democratization? The series below takes on this challenging question, drawing on a rich set of case studies and data to make some sense of the past and reflect on future directions countries may take along their path toward democratization.
Imagine this scenario: A civil resistance campaign emerges in your country. You agree with the goals of the resistance, but you are not the one facing oppression. In fact, in many ways you are complicit in upholding the regime of oppression. What do you do? How can you help the resistance campaign? […]
If the police came and took your computer, would they be able to read all your documents and gain access to your activist contacts? If you’re using the public WiFi in a coffee shop, can someone else read the email you’re writing to organize your next nonviolent action? […]
Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, had not witnessed mobilization on this scale since 2012. In May-June 2018, thousands of people joined together on the streets to support Zaza Saralidze, father of a 14-year-old boy who had been murdered in a street fight. […]
