Imprisoned since March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is considered the greatest threat to Erdogan’s power in decades. But how did Imamoglu and the CHP mount a successful comeback despite a captured media and demoralized opposition? Research, militancy, and relentless positivity proved key.

If democracy is indeed “government of the people, for the people and by the people,” then legislators must provide more transparency on the extent to which the governance of people is currently being outsourced to machines.

A migrant-led movement has used tactics from theatre to unionization to demand equal rights and dignity for those doing society’s most undervalued labor. They’ve appealed to the highest levels of EU justice and achieved major legal reforms. Yet perhaps their biggest triumph is an ongoing movement for social change powered by intersectional solidarity and care.

Plans for Europe’s largest open-pit gold mine in Romanian commune Roșia Montană galvanized all layers of Romanian society, from villagers to presidents. The two-decade fight against a project that aimed to erase four mountains and three villages has radical social and political consequences.

As Europe offshores border control to Libya – where horrific human rights abuses have been well documented – migrants too have been joining forces between North Africa and Italy, in a unified movement for safety and recognition under international law.

Soviet eco-activism exposed state rot – but it also provided the networks, platforms and experience for ordinary people to become anti-authoritarian campaigners.