Citizens In Want of Stamina
This is the age of hopeful citizens where in almost every part of the globe citizens are mobilizing, marching and, often successfully, pushing for change. But this is also the age of increasingly frustrated citizens. In some cases, the frustration is occasioned by the failure to achieve changes in regimes even after an astonishing sequence of heroic efforts and sacrifices by citizens. In other cases, the efforts originally appeared successful. Long-entrenched dictators fell and citizens were ecstatic, believing glorious days were imminent. Yet, in many of these cases, one disappointment is jumping on top of another. Change is proving far more difficult to achieve; it is even proving elusive.
- Tags:
- The World Region
- Governance
- Sustained Social Movements
- Sustained Citizen Action
- Stamina of Citizens
- Social Movement
- Social Mobilization
- social change
- Public Opinion
- Public Narrative
- Public Activism
- Public Action
- protest
- Power Structures
- Power and Elites
- Poor Governance
- Political Participation
- Political Opportunities
- Political Movement
- Political Change
- Persistence of Citizen Movements
- Mobilization
- Iron Law of Oligarchy
- Inertia
- Hope
- Fear
- Dictatorship
- Democracy
- Collective Action
- Cognitive Liberation
- Civil Protest
- Citizen Movements
- Citizen Engagement
- Accountable Governance
Perhaps it should not have been surprising that given the rolling thunder of multitudes that the world witnessed throughout 2011, the global news media would end the year with reflections on the fact that citizens massed, marched and yelled at the powerful. If you are English-speaking, you would have noticed that TIME Magazine’s person of the year was 
Talk of citizen agency and citizen power is all over the place these days - the media, the international community, academia and everybody else who cares about change and how it happens is looking in awe at current events. Civil protests have changed the political face of an important part of this world, and so far they have done so mostly peacefully. The persistence of protesters to not use violence is one of the most outstanding features of what we're seeing unfold in some Northern African countries. The rejection of violence may be one of the most important factors that contribute to the success of these uprisings.