Democracy Under Siege: Understanding and Resisting Extremism

The Politics of Hope — Why Believing in Change Is a Radical Act

Democracy Under Siege: Understanding and Resisting Extremism

When Hope Feels Out of Reach

In times like these, hope can feel naïve.

We’re surrounded by chaos: disinformation floods our feeds, courts roll back rights, and the people who profit from division seem to win again and again. Cynicism feels safer than optimism.

But here’s the truth authoritarian movements don’t want us to remember: hopelessness is their secret weapon.

When people stop believing change is possible, they stop trying. When we lose faith in the idea that our actions matter, we become spectators in our own democracy — and that’s when autocracy wins.

Hope, then, isn’t a luxury. It’s resistance.

Hope as a Political Act

Hope is often dismissed as soft, sentimental, or blind — but history tells a different story. Real hope is active. It’s the force that pushes people to march, organize, vote, rebuild, and persist, even when the odds are against them.

• The Civil Rights…