“Civil defense—a type of generalized, nonmilitary action against occupation and various societal threats—has partly risen recently in Taiwan out of efforts for civilians to have a greater say over defense against the Chinese threat. But civil defense efforts are importantly an outgrowth of Taiwan’s rich history of civil society and social movement activism, as expressed in historical moments such as the 2014 Sunflower Movement or the 1990 Wild Lily Movement, both primarily student-led. […]

Alors que les récentes tensions avec l’Inde laissaient beaucoup d’entre nous à bout de nerfs – émotionnellement, physiquement et spirituellement –, j’ai vu quelque chose de magnifique surgir des fissures : l’humour qui transcende la peur, la créativité qui ravive nos blessures et une forme d’attention partagée qui nous rappelle que nous ne sommes jamais seuls. Des voisins qui plaisantent autour d’un chai, des artistes qui dessinent des satires sur Instagram, des enfants qui rejouent des pourparlers de paix dans les cours d’école et des mères qui font des blagues que seul le chagrin peut façonner. […]

As the recent tensions with India left many of us on edge—emotionally, physically, spiritually—I saw something beautiful rise from the cracks: humor that cuts through fear, creativity that brings color to our wounds, and a kind of shared care that reminds us we are never alone. Neighbors making jokes over chai, artists sketching satire onto Instagram reels, children reenacting peace talks in schoolyards, and mothers cracking the kind of jokes only grief can shape. Some might say we laugh to avoid pain. But here, in this land of dust and devotion, we laugh to survive it. […]

While armed conflicts were once fought on the front lines, today social media has become a parallel battlefield. Without bombs, rifles or machetes, social media now allows anti-democratic parties to manipulate opinion, spread false narratives, and harass and demonize activists, journalists and researchers who do not share their narratives. In this regard, the current conflict in Congo offers a telling example of the nature and scope of online disinformation, as well as the strategies that peace activists can adopt to counter it. […]

Si autrefois les combats armés se menaient au front, aujourd’hui, les réseaux sociaux sont devenus un véritable champ de bataille parallèle. Sans bombes, fusils ou machettes, les réseaux sociaux permettent désormais aux acteurs anti-démocratiques de manipuler l’opinion, diffuser des récits mensongers, harceler et diaboliser les activistes, journalistes et chercheurs ne partageant pas leurs récits. A ce sujet, le conflit actuel au Congo offre un exemple édifiant sur la nature et l’ampleur de désinformation en ligne ainsi que des stratégies pouvant être adoptées par les militants de la paix pour y faire face. […]

During a three-year judicial training in Poland, I was taught how to deal with different cases as a judge. I had to pass a very difficult judicial exam knowing all Supreme Court case law in criminal and civil law. Nobody, however, taught me how to deal with populists, how to defend judicial independence, or how to communicate with the public in accessible language. Much less how to combat politicians’ lies and their attacks on courts. […]

“Je suis assise devant mon ordinateur, près de la fenêtre, dans mon bureau. Les piaillements des oiseaux et les pétarades d’une moto ne suffisent pas à couvrir les rafales d’armes lourdes toutes proches, là-haut sur les hauteurs de Kenscoff, à Obléon, à moins de 5 kilomètres. Les gangs armés ont lancé leur première attaque sur Kenscoff, le lundi 27 janvier dernier, dans la zone de Belot. […]”

I’m sitting by the window in my office, in front of my computer. The chirping of birds and the backfire of a motorcycle are not enough to cover the explosions of heavy weapons nearby, up in the hills above Kenscoff, in Obléon, less than 5 kilometers away. The armed gangs launched their first attack on Kenscoff on January 27, 2025, in the Belot area. There, they massacred farmers and burned down their homes. […]

How has writing changed my life? Sharing my passion for writing about activism. Arusha, December 2024. Credit: Amber French.I had a very unconventional upbringing. I was born in 1974 in South Africa during the Apartheid era. At the time my mother was a domestic worker for a white Jewish family. The dynamics of being brought up through a white lens while my mother lived in the back room as the maid created many internal crises. The country, law and society reinforced the insolence that white is right, and for many decades I believed and adopted that internal racism […]