Community or Chaos, New Zealand radio show/podcast, Sept. 1, 2025
One hour, while reporting live at Labor Day protests in Santa Cruz, CA.
Category: Democracy
Democracy
Interview: Repressive U.S.-backed Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara
Interview: Resistance and Strategic Nonviolent Action
VIDEO: Resistance with Metta Spencer July 2025, featuring Zunes, Jorgen Johansen, and Jill Carr-Harris, on the role of strategic nonviolent action in challenging the crises facing the world today.
Also see his overview of recent developments:
The Power and Value of Strategic Nonviolent Action.
Authoritarianism and Resistance: What the World Can Teach Us
May 17, 2025, Stephen Zunes’s keynote
address at the 2025 Western Washington
Fellowship of Reconciliation Spring Assembly
Video: Reflections on Authoritarianism and Resistance
VIDEO of Stephen Zunes and Rebecca Solnit in conversation
at the University of San Francisco April 22, 2025 [1:12] on
a variety of topics related to growing authoritarianism
in the United States and the resistance.
Video: Zunes’ Research on Coup Resistance
4 Keys to Defeat a Coup (5 mins.): Dr. Zunes’s animated summary of his research on coup resistance. Also at ChooseDemocracy.us,
see “10 Ways to Ground Ourselves” & “Bringing Down a Dictator”.
Lecture: Antisemitism in the Pro-Palestinian Movement: What’s Real, What’s Not, and Why it Matters
Lecture at University of San Francisco, Sept. 26, 2024, that critically examines charges of antisemitism in the U.S. pro-Palestinian movement.
Gaza War Prompts Attacks on Academic Freedom
Americans for Middle East Understanding, Sept. 28, 2024:
During the wave of campus protests opposing the US-backed war on Gaza and calling for divestment from Israel, students weren’t the only demonstrators to face arrest; supportive faculty members were also caught up in the crackdown… “We are witnessing a new era of McCarthyism where a House committee is using college presidents and professors for political theater… And Columbia isn’t the only university where faculty feel their academic freedoms are being steadily revoked…
UN: Charter Reform and Threat If Trump’s Elected
Two articles quoting Dr. Zunes:
* On the threat to the United Nations system if Trump is elected.
Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and Director of International Studies at the University of San Francisco, who has written extensively on the politics of the United Nations, told IPS: “Yes, this would indeed be disastrous and UN funding for these agencies and affiliated institutions would indeed be cut”. It should be noted, however, that Biden has already eliminated U.S. funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and has threatened to eliminate funding to any organization that has Palestine as a full member. Though Harris has generally been less hostile to international legal norms than Biden, I have seen no indication that Harris would reverse these policies, said Zunes. “Given Trump’s disrespect for domestic laws and institutions, it’s not surprising he would have a similar contempt for international laws and institutions,” he declared.
* On UN Charter reform: “Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco, told IPS proposals for Security Council reform generally go nowhere due to opposition from the veto-wielding permanent members who do not want to lose their advantages under the current archaic system. However, this proposal, or some variation of it, might have a chance of success in light of the fact that it is being pushed by the United States, which has historically been an opponent of such reforms, he pointed out. Furthermore, given that each of the P5 desire to extend their influence in Africa and among small island states, it would not reflect well on them to oppose such an effort, Zunes declared.”
Video: Oxford Union Debate Against Military Intervention to Promote Democracy
This House Would Fight for Democracy, Liberty & the Rule of Law Abroad, April 8, 2023 [11 mins., Prof. Stephen Zunes’ impassioned argument against John Bolton.]

Interview: Status of Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara for Emmaus, Stockholm
ALSO SEE Dr. Zunes’s book and website:
Western Sahara: War, Nationalism and Conflict Irresolution
Emmaus Artikel 2, Stockholm May 2024 An hour-long May 2024 interview (in English) of Dr. Stephen Zunes and a prominent Sahrawi activist in Stockholm on the situation in Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara and international legal implications. More at Western-Sahara.org
Not only the fate of the people of Western Sahara is at stake.
Emmaus Artikel 2, Stockholm May 2024
(Dr. Stephen Zunes is quoted extensively): The opposition to Trump’s rushed and unrighteous recognition of Morocco’s alleged sovereignty over Western Sahara prompts President Biden to correct this mistake… Biden could resend the U.S. recognition with the stroke of a pen, however, this has put him in something of a dilemma… More at Western-Sahara.org
The Chilling Effect of Equating Criticism of Israel to Antisemitism
The Progressive May 17, 2024:
Broadening the federal definition of antisemitism is a disingenuous attempt to quash dissent…
The New Assault on Academic Freedom: Professors across the country are being targeted by the right in order to score political points.
The Progressive May 15, 2024:
During the wave of campus protests opposing the U.S.-backed war on Gaza and calling for divestment from Israel, students weren’t the only ones facing arrest…
Interview: Anniversary of Capitol Attack
KSQD January 6, 2022: Talk of the Bay host Rachel Goodman interviews Dr. Stephen Zunes about the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection and steps to protect our democracy from further attacks.
New Zealand radio station (hosted by an American expat) on threats to American democracy from Trump and the far right.
Recording is no longer available.
[Find best related links.]
A Dangerous Move to Crack Down on Protests Against Israel
The Progressive, Dec. 4, 2020: Late last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. government finds the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign to be inherently “anti-Semitic.” He pledged to “immediately take steps to identify organizations that engage in hateful BDS conduct and withdraw U.S. government support for such groups”…
Resisting Stolen Elections: Lessons from the Philippines, Serbia, Ukraine, and Gambia
ICNC October 23, 2020: Recent precedents we can learn from about how to stop attempts to overturn election results include… one in Southeast Asia, one in Africa and two in Eastern Europe… through large-scale nonviolent direct action. This article looks at these cases, and identifies key lessons.
VIDEO: Democracy Defense: Advice from Activists Around the World
Nonviolence International, Beautiful Trouble, BlackOUT Collective, and OR Books presented a webinar on: “Democracy Defense: Advice from Activists Around the World.” [Zunes begins at 47 mins..]
Abortion Foes Should Vote Democratic
The Progressive October 8, 2020: The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court, which could result in the eventual reversal of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, has brought this contentious issue to the forefront.