Civil Society

List of Civil Society articles

Farm workers walk through a field searching for mines and explosives near the village of Myrolyubivka in Ukraine's Kherson region on April 18.
Farm workers walk through a field searching for mines and explosives near the village of Myrolyubivka in Ukraine's Kherson region on April 18.

Ukraine’s Farmland Is a Literal Minefield

With their livelihoods threatened and the state stretched thin, agricultural workers are taking demining into their own hands.

Indian people walk by a colorful building in the Portuguese colonial style in Goa, India.
Indian people walk by a colorful building in the Portuguese colonial style in Goa, India.

Portugal Left a Mark on India

They got food, fado, and sossegado. Also, the Inquisition.

A timber monastery overlooks the valley as clouds envelop the Chornohora range in the village of Dzembronya near Bystrets, Ukraine.
A timber monastery overlooks the valley as clouds envelop the Chornohora range in the village of Dzembronya near Bystrets, Ukraine.

On the Homefront, Families Mourn Ukrainian Fighters

Behind closed doors in western Ukraine, the devastating impact of the distant war becomes clear.

French police and members of the black bloc clash during a protest against pension reform in Toulouse, France.
French police and members of the black bloc clash during a protest against pension reform in Toulouse, France.

Liberty, Equality, Police Brutality

French cops have gotten more heavy-handed than anywhere else in Europe.

Georgian opposition supporters rally calling for the government to follow a pro-Western path, outside the parliament in Tbilisi on March 9.
Georgian opposition supporters rally calling for the government to follow a pro-Western path, outside the parliament in Tbilisi on March 9.

Georgia’s Protesters Won the Battle but Not the War

The government backed down, much to Russia’s chagrin, but it could reintroduce a reviled law.

Iraqi children walk along a damaged road on their way back from school in Mosul, Iraq
Iraqi children walk along a damaged road on their way back from school in Mosul, Iraq

Iraq Must Not Squander Another Opportunity to Rebuild

The war’s legacy is 20 years of broken hopes and dreams. This government must do better.

Exiled Nicaraguans hold a protest vigil against the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega in San Jose, Costa Rica, on April 19, 2022.
Exiled Nicaraguans hold a protest vigil against the government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega in San Jose, Costa Rica, on April 19, 2022.

With Russian Support, Nicaragua Smothers Dissent

Managua’s crackdown on free expression is entering a new phase.

A protester is sprayed by a water cannon while taunting Georgian riot police during clashes near the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi.
A protester is sprayed by a water cannon while taunting Georgian riot police during clashes near the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi.

Georgians Lean West—and Into the Water Cannons

Tbilisi looks to crack down, Moscow-style, on NGOs and free expression.

Australian Greens Sen. Lidia Thorpe speaks to a crowd.
Australian Greens Sen. Lidia Thorpe speaks to a crowd.

Australians Can’t Agree on the Voice

Most of the country wants the government to do more for Indigenous Australians. So why is a proposal to achieve that so fraught?

Mourners attend the funeral for killed Ukrainian serviceman and anti-corruption activist Roman Ratushny (portrait) at a cemetery in Kyiv on June 18, 2022.
Mourners attend the funeral for killed Ukrainian serviceman and anti-corruption activist Roman Ratushny (portrait) at a cemetery in Kyiv on June 18, 2022.

War Hasn’t Deterred Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Fighters

Activists argue the struggles for state transparency and national liberation are one and the same.

Protesters sit above the Garzweiler II open cast lignite coal mine near the settlement of Luetzerath on January 14, 2023 near Erkelenz, Germany. Other nearby settlements that were also slated for demolition will now be spared, though critics point out that Germany has sufficient energy production capacity and does not need the coal lying beneath Luetzerath.
Protesters sit above the Garzweiler II open cast lignite coal mine near the settlement of Luetzerath on January 14, 2023 near Erkelenz, Germany. Other nearby settlements that were also slated for demolition will now be spared, though critics point out that Germany has sufficient energy production capacity and does not need the coal lying beneath Luetzerath.

Europe’s Climate Movement Is Radicalizing in Real Time

Compromises are condemning the continent’s climate goals to failure—and eliciting blowback.

A camp houses people displaced by the military coup in Myanmar.
A camp houses people displaced by the military coup in Myanmar.

In Myanmar, Resistance Forces Pursue Home Rule

Two years after the military coup, many communities are providing their own public services and making the case for federalism.

A motorcycle is on fire during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests outside Tehran.
A motorcycle is on fire during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests outside Tehran.

Iran’s Regime Plays with Fire in Baluchistan

Stirring sectarian tensions in the country’s poorest province is a dangerous game.

Demonstrators attend a rally in Paris.
Demonstrators attend a rally in Paris.

Macron Is Courting His Waterloo Over Pension Reform

Like other rich countries, France is trying to go gray and stay solvent—and the French aren’t buying it.

Shaun Tai (right), a laptop salesman, fires an airsoft pistol during firearms training at Camp 66, a firing range and training facility in Taipei, Taiwan, on Dec. 6.
Shaun Tai (right), a laptop salesman, fires an airsoft pistol during firearms training at Camp 66, a firing range and training facility in Taipei, Taiwan, on Dec. 6.

Taiwanese Flock to Civil Defense Training Ahead of Potential Chinese Invasion

“We have no right to ask others to help us if we are not prepared to defend ourselves,” Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said.

A person stands amid colorful piles on red-brown earth.
A person stands amid colorful piles on red-brown earth.

How NGOs Bolster Democracy

Nongovernmental organizations have the potential to undermine authoritarian governance, which must be why they face widespread crackdowns around the world.

Women are seen making food and holding food containers in a kitchen.
Women are seen making food and holding food containers in a kitchen.

Chavismo’s Latest Target

NGOs are essential to Venezuelan society. A new law may lead to their collapse.

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