People Power

Solyndra Aftermath: Google Still Upbeat on Green

Alison van Diggelen | Posted 12.04.2011

Alison van Diggelen

As the Solyndra aftermath continues to ripple through the green economy, Fresh Dialogues found the mood was distinctly upbeat at the AlwaysOn Going Green Conference at San Francisco's City Hall last week.

Is a Revolution in China Around the Corner?

Nathan Schneider | Posted 09.17.2011

Nathan Schneider

Unfolding this month at the Boston Review is "China's Other Revolution" -- an essay by MIT political scientist Edward S. Steinfeld and a series of responses, all on the subject of whether and when real democratic reform will happen, in authoritarian, oligarchic China.

Illinois Taxpayers Demand that Wall Street Pays Their Fair Share

George Goehl | Posted 07.13.2011

George Goehl

In the face of Illinois' $6 billion budget deficit, the state says there is no alternative but to continue to cut public services. Meanwhile, Wall Street and big banks are foreclosing on hundreds of thousands of Illinois families and neglecting to pay their fair share.

Morning in America: If at First You Don't Secede...

Randall Amster | Posted 05.25.2011

Randall Amster

Secession may have its virtues, and while the seductive logic of "local control" may have an appeal across the political spectrum, it is equally the case that recent history has not been particularly kind to "breakaway republics."

Obama Should Give Second Cairo Speech

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Chris Weigant

People in America need to hear this type of leadership, and the people in the region who are risking everything -- including their lives -- to protest tyranny absolutely deserve to hear from Obama at this point.

Revolutionary Thoughts

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Chris Weigant

Don't expect an outcome equal to the (mostly) peaceful overthrows in Tunisia and Egypt in every single country now affected by this "people power" movement. There are major differences from country to country.

Fish Don't Rebel (So We Should)

David Helvarg | Posted 05.25.2011

David Helvarg

We're hard wired by evolution to respond to the most immediate threats (secret police and Tsunamis), not the broad long-term challenges such as climate disruption, population, consumption and loss of biodiversity.

Friday Talking Points [154] -- Egypt Rising

Chris Weigant | Posted 05.25.2011

Chris Weigant

While Egypt's future is uncertain, the feeling of optimism among the people who succeeded in demanding change is palpable today. It wouldn't surprise me if February 11th becomes an Egyptian national holiday in the future.

Modern Pharaohs: What Does Egypt's Uprising Mean?

Rabbi Arthur Waskow | Posted 05.25.2011

Rabbi Arthur Waskow

During the past week, we have seen hundreds of thousands of Egyptians face down their own modern Pharaoh -- dictatorial, repressive, and corrupt.

Egypt and the US "We Know Best" Syndrome

Lisa Schirch | Posted 05.25.2011

Lisa Schirch

With countries across the Middle East now teetering between stability and change, it is hard to tell what President Obama means when he invokes the concept of stability.

Burma's Revolution: Goodbye, Generals (with Shaazka Beyerle)

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

In honor of the upcoming elections in Burma, here is a re-post of an article published at Truthout by me and Shaazka Beyerle in October of 2007. The...

Are Progressives Fiddling While Rome Burns?

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

If fall of 2008 was "silly season", then what does that make this election cycle? We are in a critical moment (yes, I know someone says that every ...

A Reality (and Sanity) Check for Progressives- Speech to Petaluma Progressive Festival

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

Transcript of my comments to the annual Progressive Festival in Petaluma, CA, September 26, 2010: First of all, thank you to the organizers of this e...

A Discussion with a Nobel Laureate: Shirin Ebadi and the Struggle for Democracy in Iran, Part I

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

Ebadi told me that part of her job is to help women interpret Islam "correctly" in order to assert their claim to equal rights. If she is any indication, the Iranian Women's Movement is in extremely capable hands.

Indonesians Rally to Curb Corruption; and It's Only the Beginning

Sara Schonhardt | Posted 05.25.2011

Sara Schonhardt

Thousands of protestors gathered outside the presidential residence in Indonesia Wednesday to mark International Anti-Corruption Day by rallying against a series of recent scandals that prove graft is still alive and well in Indonesia.

People Power Brought Down the Berlin Wall

Sarah van Gelder | Posted 05.25.2011

Sarah van Gelder

Some argue that the Cold War was just too costly for the Soviet empire to maintain. But the wall couldn't have come down without a nonviolent people power uprising.

The Day They Buried Cory Aquino

Virginia M. Moncrieff | Posted 05.25.2011

Virginia M. Moncrieff

Since Saturday, when Corazon Aquino died, my neighborhood in Manila has been awash with yellow ribbons and banners. At my local 7/11, I asked about the yellow ribbons tied to the door, and the cashier burst into tears.

On Patriotism and Principle: An Open Letter to the President (aka "The GOP's Bridge to Anywhere But Here")

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

Mr. President, talk to us directly. Tell us again why your election was only the first step, not the culmination, of a genuine movement to change the way we understand power, democracy, and our own roles in those phenomena.

The Iranian Crackdown: Who's Really Afraid of Whom?

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

Every time the regime represses, it further undermines its own power while simultaneously helping to recruit new members to the resistance.

The Green Revolution Belongs to the Iranians, Not the United States

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

To seriously question the Iranians' ownership of their struggle serves the interests of a brutal regime and risks undermining the morale of individuals participating in a true peoples' movement.

Grand Ayatollah's pronouncement is sign of disintegrating regime

Cynthia Boaz | Posted 05.25.2011

Cynthia Boaz

In case you missed it, another blow to the Iranian regime's legitimacy was delivered yesterday when the Grand Ayatollah Montazeri issued a statement d...