Minds of the Movement

An ICNC blog on the people and power of civil resistance

Stephen Zunes

Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco. He serves as a senior policy analyst for Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, an associate editor of Peace Review, a contributing editor of Tikkun, and served for seven years as the first chair of ICNC’s academic advisory committee. He is the author of hundreds of articles for scholarly and general readership on strategic nonviolent action, Middle Eastern and North African politics, U.S. foreign policy, international terrorism, nuclehttps://twitter.com/SZunesar nonproliferation, and human rights. He has authored, co-authored, and edited a number of books, including an ICNC Monograph (2017) entitled Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective (available in English and Thai).

Writings from Stephen Zunes

Articles

Scholarship & Research

Resisting Stolen Elections: Lessons from the Philippines, Serbia, Ukraine, and Gambia

Discussion has grown for months about how the upcoming U.S. election results could be contested and possibly subverted. No one knows for certain what will happen, but there are precedents we can learn from about how attempts to overturn election results have been stopped. Four cases in recent decades—one in Southeast Asia, one in Africa and the other two in Eastern Europe—involved an incumbent president or party attempting to steal an election only to have it reversed through large-scale nonviolent direct action. This article looks at these cases, and identifies key lessons. […]

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Movement Commentary

The Anatomy of Sudan’s Democratic Revolution—One Year Later

There is still much to do to consolidate democracy and civilian rule in Sudan. All the same, the toppling of al-Bashir and his military backers is an amazing accomplishment. It demonstrates that whatever the structural obstacles may be, building on internal strengths and external opportunities, embracing diversity and nonviolent discipline, and following through on what was started are important ingredients to movement success. […]

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Movement Commentary

Cómo el levantamiento por la democracia de Sudán sacude los mitos prevalecientes sobre la Resistencia Civil

Una poderosa insurrección civil por la democracia en Sudán que ha derrocado a un dictador que ha permanecido por mucho tiempo en el poder, y con el sucesor aún en proceso de designación los sudaneses están esperanzados de obtener una completa transición a la democracia. […]

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Movement Commentary

How Sudan’s Pro-Democracy Uprising Challenges Prevailing Myths about Civil Resistance

A powerful pro-democracy civil insurrection in Sudan which has ousted a longstanding dictator and his successor is still in progress, but Sudanese are hopeful for a full democratic transition. This uprising challenges a number of prevailing myths many people have in the West regarding unarmed civil insurrections. […]

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