Over the past several years, we have found ourselves having the same conversation in remarkably different settings. Whether discussing Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, democratic backsliding in Europe and Latin America, military rule in Burma, or the suppression of prodemocracy movements from Hong Kong to Belarus, someone eventually asks a version of the same question: Does nonviolent action still work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We hear these conversations with growing concern because both of us have spent much of our professional lives studying, teaching and supporting strategic nonviolent action in the approach developed by Gene Sharp and advanced by scholars and practitioners around the world. Increasingly, we encounter not only skepticism about the relevance of nonviolent actions for particular campaigns, but skepticism about the approach itself and whether it remains relevant for today\u2019s political realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the last quarter century, even where mass mobilizations succeeded in removing leaders, many then struggled to produce durable democratic gains. The optimism that accompanied the \u201ccolor revolutions,\u201d the Arab Spring uprisings, and other popular movements has given way to skepticism. Georgia\u2019s Rose Revolution in 2003, Ukraine\u2019s Orange Revolution in 2004, and the 2011 uprisings that toppled longtime rulers in Tunisia and Egypt were once held up as proof of concept; several of those same countries have since backslid or reverted to a different flavor of authoritarian rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These doubts are understandable. Around the world, democracy is under pressure and authoritarian governments have become more sophisticated. Digital surveillance, disinformation and new forms of repression have transformed the environment in which movements operate. Meanwhile, the latest research only strengthens this perception. According to the V-Dem Institute\u2019s 2026 Democracy Report, democracy has declined to levels last seen in 1978, effectively erasing the gains of the \u201cthird wave\u201d of democratization. Today, nearly three-quarters of the world\u2019s population lives under autocratic rule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For some, the conclusion is straightforward: Nonviolent action has become outdated. Authoritarian governments have learned too much, and technology has shifted the balance of power. The world has changed. We believe this diagnosis mistakes the symptoms for the underlying cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n