Essay
2023
We Need People Power to Address a World in Peril
By Hardy Merriman
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Available in 2 languages
About the book
The world confronts three grave and interrelated crises. Authoritarianism has been rising worldwide for nearly two decades. Climate change has been increasingly studied and publicly foretold since the 1970s. Rising violent conflict and insecurity are a predictable result of autocratic waves and climate chaos.
In this essay, the essential role of movements countering authoritarianism, climate change, and violent conflict are outlined, with commentary on how institutional allies can better enable and support them.
Topics
Democracy & Authoritarianism, Climate, Peacebuilding, Movement Support
Also in
French
Written for
Philanthropies, Policymakers, Non-profit leaders & Organizers
About the author
Hardy Merriman
For over 20 years, Hardy Merriman has focused on pro-democracy movements fighting authoritarian governments and democratic backsliding around the world.
He is former President & CEO of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC); led the Fostering a Fourth Democratic Wave project as a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council; served as a senior technical advisor to the United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Powered by the People program; and was an adjunct lecturer at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He also launched and developed ICNC Press, which later became People Power Publishers.
His recent publications include Hold the Line: A Guide to Defending Democracy (2026); Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE) (2024), Fostering a Fourth Democratic Wave: A Playbook for Countering the Authoritarian Threat (2023), and We Need People Power to Address a World in Peril (2023).
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Free PDF editions in other languages.
Cet essai décrit les trois crises interdépendantes que sont la montée de l'autoritarisme, le changement climatique et les conflits violents, et souligne le rôle essentiel que jouent les mouvements populaires non violents dans la résolution de chacune d'entre elles.
