Stephen Zunes

Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco, where he coordinates the Middle Eastern Studies program, and co-chairs the academic advisory committee for the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.

Apparent fraud in Maldivian elections threatens prospects for democracy

There are a number of troubling indicators that major fraud may have occurred in the election held on September 7, which raises questions regarding the integrity of the September 28 runoff.

By Stephen Zunes

/ 16 Sep 2013

The ongoing attack on democracy in the Maldives

If western countries are unwilling to place any pressure against a regime of questionable legitimacy, allied with a former dictator and hard-line Islamists, while failing to provide any support for a popularly-elected leader committed to democracy and to nonviolence, what kind of message does that

By Stephen Zunes

/ 11 Oct 2012

Sudan's protests become civil insurrection

Sudan has a history of non-violent pro-democracy civil insurrection which far pre-dates the Arab Spring. But can such an uprising succeed today?

By Stephen Zunes

/ 6 Jul 2012

Mali’s struggle: not simply of their own making

Mali serves as yet another reminder of both the power of strategic nonviolent action and the consequences of foreign powers seeking to impose military solutions on complex political problems.

By Stephen Zunes

/ 11 May 2012

Democracy imperilled in the Maldives

The United States and much of the international community has understandably been focused on increasingly violent conflict in Syria. However, attention also needs to be given to the Muslim people of this Asian nation and their commitment to the power of nonviolent action

By Stephen Zunes

/ 8 Mar 2012

Egypt’s pro-democracy movement: the struggle continues

Those who were expecting a quick victory are no doubt disappointed, but successful People Power movements of recent decades have usually been protracted struggles.

By Stephen Zunes

/ 8 Feb 2011

Upsurge in repression challenges nonviolent resistance in Western Sahara

Sahrawis have engaged in protests, strikes, cultural celebrations, and other forms of civil resistance focused on such issues as educational policy, human rights, the release of political prisoners, and the right to self-determination. They have also raised the cost of occupation for the Moroccan

By Stephen Zunes

/ 17 Nov 2010

The power of protest in the Maldives

The recent ouster of the corrupt and autocratic president of the Maldive Islands, Mahmoud Gayoom, marks another victory in the global struggle for rights and democracy. Gayoom was defeated in

By Stephen Zunes

/ 2 Dec 2008

Fighting corruption through nonviolent action

There is a quiet revolution going on in the international struggle against corruption and for greater transparency in government. Two years ago, I attended my first International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC)

By Stephen Zunes

/ 12 Nov 2008

More harm than good

The failure of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front to agree on the modalities of the long-planned United Nations-sponsored referendum on the fate of Western Sahara, combined with

By Stephen Zunes

/ 18 Jul 2007