Hardy Merriman
@hardymerriman.bsky.social
Independent consultant focused on nonviolent civil resistance, human rights, democracy, and countering political violence.
Formerly led the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC).
Contact via my website: hardymerriman.com
Formerly led the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC).
Contact via my website: hardymerriman.com
Great to talk with Lisa Graves (@thelisagraves.bsky.social) at Legal AF (@legalafmtn.bsky.social) and MeidasTouch Network about No Kings, the Supreme Court, and our collective power to resist authoritarianism.
Two part interview.
Part 1
youtu.be/mc7c49sLhOs?...
Two part interview.
Part 1
youtu.be/mc7c49sLhOs?...
Supreme Court EXPOSED Fueling Trump's CHAOS
YouTube video by Legal AF
youtu.be
November 6, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Great to talk with Lisa Graves (@thelisagraves.bsky.social) at Legal AF (@legalafmtn.bsky.social) and MeidasTouch Network about No Kings, the Supreme Court, and our collective power to resist authoritarianism.
Two part interview.
Part 1
youtu.be/mc7c49sLhOs?...
Two part interview.
Part 1
youtu.be/mc7c49sLhOs?...
Recently interviewed about No Kings and other tactics to counter authoritarians and uphold democracy, with Scott Harris of WPKN for his show Counterpoint, and syndicated at @btlradionews.bsky.social
share.transistor.fm/s/847588d3
share.transistor.fm/s/847588d3
After ‘No Kings Day’ Protests, New Strategies & Tactics Needed to Resist Trump’s Authoritarian Agenda | WPKN: Politics, Policy, and Planet Podcast | Episode 298
Interview with Hardy Merriman, former president of the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, conducted by Scott Harris.Hardy Merriman discusses his views on the direction and strength of the U....
share.transistor.fm
November 1, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Recently interviewed about No Kings and other tactics to counter authoritarians and uphold democracy, with Scott Harris of WPKN for his show Counterpoint, and syndicated at @btlradionews.bsky.social
share.transistor.fm/s/847588d3
share.transistor.fm/s/847588d3
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
New: In a backsliding democracy, ‘public mobilization is the guardrail’
open.substack.com/pub/diplomat...
open.substack.com/pub/diplomat...
In backsliding democracy, ‘public mobilization is the guardrail’
Some excerpts as we head into the weekend.
open.substack.com
October 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM
New: In a backsliding democracy, ‘public mobilization is the guardrail’
open.substack.com/pub/diplomat...
open.substack.com/pub/diplomat...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
Excellent from The New Yorker Radio hour. Fascinating to hear
Hardy Merriman, an expert on civil resistance, talking about protests, boycotts, strikes, and nonviolent approaches—as being effective in the fight against democratic backsliding. #democracy #thenewyorker
pca.st/episode/5b51...
Hardy Merriman, an expert on civil resistance, talking about protests, boycotts, strikes, and nonviolent approaches—as being effective in the fight against democratic backsliding. #democracy #thenewyorker
pca.st/episode/5b51...
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
pca.st
October 1, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Excellent from The New Yorker Radio hour. Fascinating to hear
Hardy Merriman, an expert on civil resistance, talking about protests, boycotts, strikes, and nonviolent approaches—as being effective in the fight against democratic backsliding. #democracy #thenewyorker
pca.st/episode/5b51...
Hardy Merriman, an expert on civil resistance, talking about protests, boycotts, strikes, and nonviolent approaches—as being effective in the fight against democratic backsliding. #democracy #thenewyorker
pca.st/episode/5b51...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
See @hardymerriman.bsky.social's Q&A with Scot Nakagawa to learn more about backfire principals and nonviolent strategies of resistance: politicalresearch.org/2024/11/21/q....
Q&A: Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence
A discussion with Hardy Merriman and Scot Nakagawa on the Harnessing Our Power to End Political Violence (HOPE-PV) project, and what strategies communities can use to resist political violence.
politicalresearch.org
September 30, 2025 at 4:02 PM
See @hardymerriman.bsky.social's Q&A with Scot Nakagawa to learn more about backfire principals and nonviolent strategies of resistance: politicalresearch.org/2024/11/21/q....
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
“You don’t necessarily need people doing things that are high-risk. You just need large numbers of people doing them,” says Hardy Merriman in an episode of @newyorker.com’s ‘The Political Scene’ discussing strategies of resistance in a backsliding democracy. Tune in now!
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
The comedian has returned to late-night TV. What can the response to his suspension teach us about countering Trump?
www.newyorker.com
September 30, 2025 at 4:02 PM
“You don’t necessarily need people doing things that are high-risk. You just need large numbers of people doing them,” says Hardy Merriman in an episode of @newyorker.com’s ‘The Political Scene’ discussing strategies of resistance in a backsliding democracy. Tune in now!
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
Please listen. Super smart, inspiring and practical. And it doesn't rely on the Democratic Party... @janemayer.bsky.social @eosnos.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social @hardymerriman.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
Podcast Episode · The Political Scene | The New Yorker · 09/27/2025 · 44m
podcasts.apple.com
September 28, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Please listen. Super smart, inspiring and practical. And it doesn't rely on the Democratic Party... @janemayer.bsky.social @eosnos.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social @hardymerriman.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
People keep asking “What can we do?” Our podcast guest, Hardy Merriman, studies resistance movements and has many suggestions.
The successful public backlash against silencing Jimmy Kimmel contains some big lessons on what works in the face of autocracy, as expert Hardy Merriman explains in this fascinating episode with my co-hosts @janemayer.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
Podcast Episode · The Political Scene | The New Yorker · 09/27/2025 · 44m
podcasts.apple.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:50 PM
People keep asking “What can we do?” Our podcast guest, Hardy Merriman, studies resistance movements and has many suggestions.
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
“In a backsliding democracy,…it is really public mobilization that is the guardrail.” It also has the capacity to impose costs, not just on the administration, but on the enablers
I interviewed with the New Yorker on the power of civil resistance to counter authoritarianism. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
Podcast Episode · The Political Scene | The New Yorker · 09/27/2025 · 44m
podcasts.apple.com
September 27, 2025 at 9:12 PM
“In a backsliding democracy,…it is really public mobilization that is the guardrail.” It also has the capacity to impose costs, not just on the administration, but on the enablers
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
The successful public backlash against silencing Jimmy Kimmel contains some big lessons on what works in the face of autocracy, as expert Hardy Merriman explains in this fascinating episode with my co-hosts @janemayer.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
Podcast Episode · The Political Scene | The New Yorker · 09/27/2025 · 44m
podcasts.apple.com
September 27, 2025 at 8:10 PM
The successful public backlash against silencing Jimmy Kimmel contains some big lessons on what works in the face of autocracy, as expert Hardy Merriman explains in this fascinating episode with my co-hosts @janemayer.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t... great ep on NewYorker’s Political Scene with @hardymerriman.bsky.social discussing civil resistance and acts of non-cooperation (and why they might work better than we perceive right now)
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
Podcast-Folge · The Political Scene | The New Yorker · 27.09.2025 · 44 Min.
podcasts.apple.com
September 27, 2025 at 2:03 PM
podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/t... great ep on NewYorker’s Political Scene with @hardymerriman.bsky.social discussing civil resistance and acts of non-cooperation (and why they might work better than we perceive right now)
I interviewed with the New Yorker on the power of civil resistance to counter authoritarianism. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...
Jimmy Kimmel and the Power of Public Pressure
Podcast Episode · The Political Scene | The New Yorker · 09/27/2025 · 44m
podcasts.apple.com
September 27, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I interviewed with the New Yorker on the power of civil resistance to counter authoritarianism. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/j...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
Democrats AND Republicans support the right to join a union. Even when Washington is this divided, we can all come together to restore federal workers’ bargaining rights.
Tell your representative to sign the discharge petition to get this bill to a vote! act.aflcio.org/call_campaig...
Tell your representative to sign the discharge petition to get this bill to a vote! act.aflcio.org/call_campaig...
July 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Democrats AND Republicans support the right to join a union. Even when Washington is this divided, we can all come together to restore federal workers’ bargaining rights.
Tell your representative to sign the discharge petition to get this bill to a vote! act.aflcio.org/call_campaig...
Tell your representative to sign the discharge petition to get this bill to a vote! act.aflcio.org/call_campaig...
Yes, still relevant indeed. And free online for those who want a copy. www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...
Moving out of my apartment in Oslo and found this report while cleaning. This was presented at PRIO two years ago. Perhaps more relevant than ever. @hardymerriman.bsky.social
March 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Yes, still relevant indeed. And free online for those who want a copy. www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-res...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
Democracy depends in part on people who refuse to comply with unlawful (and/or unethical) orders.
The Inspectors General refuse to leave until the action is taken legally, which they do not believe it was, and neither do senators like Chuck Grassley. This is what not backing down looks like.
static.politico.com/b3/3e/5baf92...
static.politico.com/b3/3e/5baf92...
January 26, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Democracy depends in part on people who refuse to comply with unlawful (and/or unethical) orders.
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
Must-read: chilling @nytimes.com reporting corroborating and expanding on @tibetaction.bsky.social documentation of widespread, systematic abuses of #Tibetan children. The damage is intentional—and generational. Indep into investigation crucial - #UN #OHCHR #HRC! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
In Tibet, Chinese Boarding Schools Reshape the ‘Souls of Children’
Across China’s west, the Communist Party is placing children in boarding schools to assimilate a generation of Tibetans into the national mainstream and mold them into loyal citizens.
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Must-read: chilling @nytimes.com reporting corroborating and expanding on @tibetaction.bsky.social documentation of widespread, systematic abuses of #Tibetan children. The damage is intentional—and generational. Indep into investigation crucial - #UN #OHCHR #HRC! www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
As political violence escalates in the U.S., PRA sits down with @hardymerriman.bsky.social and @22ci.bsky.social’s Scot Nakagawa to discuss the impact of political violence and how we can make it backfire against its perpetrators. Learn more at politicalresearch.org/2024/11/21/q....
December 11, 2024 at 6:19 PM
As political violence escalates in the U.S., PRA sits down with @hardymerriman.bsky.social and @22ci.bsky.social’s Scot Nakagawa to discuss the impact of political violence and how we can make it backfire against its perpetrators. Learn more at politicalresearch.org/2024/11/21/q....
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
How can the judiciary resist democratic backsliding?
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
Ever heard of judicial resistance? It's more important than ever in our evolving democracies. Register:
How Polish Judges Fought to Keep Their Independence
A webinar feat. Marcin Mrowicki w/ Elizabeth A. Wilson & Doug Coltart
Dec 11, 2024 12pm – 1:30pm EST
www.nonviolent-conflict.org/register-for...
How Polish Judges Fought to Keep Their Independence
A webinar feat. Marcin Mrowicki w/ Elizabeth A. Wilson & Doug Coltart
Dec 11, 2024 12pm – 1:30pm EST
www.nonviolent-conflict.org/register-for...
Register for Upcoming Webinar: How Polish Judges Fought to Keep Their Independence | ICNC
A webinar featuring Marcin Mrowicki alongside panelists Elizabeth A. Wilson and Doug Coltart December 11, 2024 12:00pm – 1:30pm EST Register here Webinar details: This webinar explores the ways in w...
www.nonviolent-conflict.org
December 4, 2024 at 1:07 PM
How can the judiciary resist democratic backsliding?
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
How can the judiciary resist democratic backsliding?
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
Ever heard of judicial resistance? It's more important than ever in our evolving democracies. Register:
How Polish Judges Fought to Keep Their Independence
A webinar feat. Marcin Mrowicki w/ Elizabeth A. Wilson & Doug Coltart
Dec 11, 2024 12pm – 1:30pm EST
www.nonviolent-conflict.org/register-for...
How Polish Judges Fought to Keep Their Independence
A webinar feat. Marcin Mrowicki w/ Elizabeth A. Wilson & Doug Coltart
Dec 11, 2024 12pm – 1:30pm EST
www.nonviolent-conflict.org/register-for...
Register for Upcoming Webinar: How Polish Judges Fought to Keep Their Independence | ICNC
A webinar featuring Marcin Mrowicki alongside panelists Elizabeth A. Wilson and Doug Coltart December 11, 2024 12:00pm – 1:30pm EST Register here Webinar details: This webinar explores the ways in w...
www.nonviolent-conflict.org
December 4, 2024 at 1:07 PM
How can the judiciary resist democratic backsliding?
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
Learn from the recent example of Poland, where judges engaged in a range of tactics--including sometimes acts of public protest--to uphold democracy.
Join our webinar. Register at the link below.
Organized communities can play a powerful role in making political violence backfire against perpetrators. Check out my recent podcast with Nonviolent Action Lab at Harvard University: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Episode 8
Podcast Episode · Nonviolent Action Lab Podcast · 10/04/2024 · 32m
podcasts.apple.com
November 15, 2024 at 7:51 PM
Organized communities can play a powerful role in making political violence backfire against perpetrators. Check out my recent podcast with Nonviolent Action Lab at Harvard University: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e...
Reposted by Hardy Merriman
A powerful autocratic wave is sweeping the globe.
What will it take to foster a new democratic wave? And how can democratic countries support nonviolent civil resistance movements?
Join us at PRIO next Monday, 13:00, for this seminar.
Sign up here: prio.org/events/9068
What will it take to foster a new democratic wave? And how can democratic countries support nonviolent civil resistance movements?
Join us at PRIO next Monday, 13:00, for this seminar.
Sign up here: prio.org/events/9068
A Playbook for Countering the Authoritarian Threat – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
Global autocracy rises as democracy declines. Reversing this trend is vital. How can democracies better aid nonviolent movements?
prio.org
September 25, 2023 at 11:42 AM
A powerful autocratic wave is sweeping the globe.
What will it take to foster a new democratic wave? And how can democratic countries support nonviolent civil resistance movements?
Join us at PRIO next Monday, 13:00, for this seminar.
Sign up here: prio.org/events/9068
What will it take to foster a new democratic wave? And how can democratic countries support nonviolent civil resistance movements?
Join us at PRIO next Monday, 13:00, for this seminar.
Sign up here: prio.org/events/9068