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Oliver Kaplan

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Associate Professor of International Studies, University of Denver

The United States, alongside other countries, has a growing pro-democracy and nonviolent civil movement. Oliver Helbig/Getty Images

March 27, 2026

What Americans can learn from other civil activism movements against authoritarian regimes

John Shattuck, Tufts University and Oliver Kaplan, University of Denver

The US may be experiencing democratic backsliding. Around the world, nonviolent civil movements exist to support democracy and protect fellow citizens.

In Detroit, Mich., volunteers with the Detroit People’s Assembly put together whistle kits designed to alert the community when immigration agents are nearby. Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

January 29, 2026

Anti‑ICE protesters are following same nonviolent playbook used by people in war zones across the world to fight threats to their communities

Oliver Kaplan, University of Denver

Americans are learning and doing the kind of work that civilians in war zones worldwide have done for decades: dealing with threats by organizing to help protect their neighbors and communities.

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Location: Denver, Colorado, U.S.
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Joined October 14, 2024