Dissent

By Michael Nagler and Francesca Po | – ( Waging Nonviolence) – Given the almost inconceivable tragedy that has been visited on our schools — and believing that no democracy can survive without a viable education and a safe space for children — Michael Nagler spoke with career teacher, peace activist and Metta Center board […]

Dissent

Sudan: Voices of Protesters Should Be Heard, Not Sidelined

Human Rights Watch

By Mohamed Darish, resistance committee member | – ( Human Rights Watch ) – Sudan’s tenacious street protesters and other supporters of the social movement have continued to take to the streets and find ways to express their resistance to the country’s October 2021 military coup. They’ve faced the military’s organized repression, including the use […]

Climate Crisis

What we can Learn from Bolivia’s Struggle for Free Water: Review of Maude Barlow, “Still Hopeful After All These Years”

Peter G. Prontzos

Review of Maude Barlow, Still Hopeful: Lessons from a Lifetime of Activism. ECW Press, 2022. When I was teaching Political Science, some of the most memorable events were the teleconferences that Noam Chomsky did with my students. During a discussion of international trade treaties, Noam singled out the work of Maude Barlow, then Chairperson of […]

Corruption

Iranian Protesters demand Justice after Deaths in Abadan’s Building Collapse

Global Voices

Written by Fred Petrossian | – ( Globalvoices.org) – Hundreds of Iranians took to the streets in Abadan, the capital of the southwestern oil-rich province of Khuzestan, demanding justice after a 10-storey Metropol building collapsed on May 23, killing at least 29 people. Officials said 37 people were also wounded and it remains unknown how […]

Authoritarianism

Iran: Arrests Amid Economic Protests: Attempt to Suppress Growing Social Movements

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch – (Beirut) – Iranian authorities have arrested several prominent activists on baseless accusations amid labor union strikes and ongoing protests against rising prices, since May 6, 2022, in dozens of small towns, Human Rights Watch said today. Those arrested include a prominent sociologist and four labor rights defenders. News outlets close to […]

Dissent

Defections are crucial to ending Putin’s war — Russian soldiers looking for a way out need support

Waging Nonviolence

By David Cortright | – ( Waging Nonviolence) – Putin’s greatest vulnerability may be his dependence on the willingness of Russian soldiers to do his dirty work. Although many in Russia have been conditioned to accept Kremlin propaganda, others have doubts about the war, including some of the troops who have been sent to fight […]

Afghanistan

Historian Adam Michnik: Putin’s Invasion Of Ukraine Will End Like Brezhnev’s Afghan War, And Spark A ‘New Wave’

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Vadim Dubnov | – ( RFE/RL ) – Vladimir Putin “has driven Russia into a trap” by invading Ukraine, the former Polish dissident Adam Michnik has said, predicting ultimate defeat for the Russian leader and a chance for much-needed liberal reforms afterward. “In Russia, changes took place after wars were lost — after the […]

Authoritarianism

Facing severe Repression, Russians are turning to antiwar Graffiti

Waging Nonviolence

By Colleen Wood and Alexis Lerner | – ( Waging Nonviolence ) – It is exceedingly difficult to organize peaceful protests in Russia. Since the Kremlin’s “Special Operation” began on Feb. 24, police have detained nearly 15,000 people across the country in connection with peaceful demonstrations. On March 4, the Kremlin expanded the scope of […]

Dissent

Ukrainians took to the streets to avert a nuclear disaster. Will Americans do the same?

Waging Nonviolence

By Paul Gunter and Linda Pentz Gunter | – ( Waging Nonviolence) – On March 2, a striking news clip found its way onto the internet. It showed nuclear power plant workers and ordinary citizens blockading the access road to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. They stood solemnly in the street, waving Ukrainian […]