Nonviolent Resistance around the World

The document analyzes the rise of nonviolent resistance globally, noting that while it has historically outperformed violent resistance in achieving major political change, its effectiveness has declined since 2010. It argues that authoritarian regimes may be more fragile than they appear and suggests that non-traditional international support is more influential than direct state assistance for these movements.

• Nonviolent resistance is increasing in frequency globally, while violent forms of resistance are decreasing.
• Historically, nonviolent resistance has been significantly more effective than violent resistance at achieving major political change.
• Despite becoming a more common technique, the effectiveness of nonviolent resistance has decreased since 2010.
• Nonviolent uprisings cannot be imported or exported to other countries, contradicting claims that they are 'soft coups'.
• Authoritarian governments may be more fragile than they seem, and long-term rule is not a reliable indicator of stability because nonviolent uprisings can be swift and unpredictable.
• Direct state support for nonviolent uprisings is rare and not seen as necessary for success; instead, support from transnational networks and international NGOs may be more influential.
• Opponent governments frequently respond to nonviolent episodes with lethal force, affecting approximately 90% of the cases in the dataset.

APA

Chenoweth, E. (2016). Nonviolent Resistance around the World. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/41fb64b6-5ce7-4027-9fad-6ed06217def1/Chenoweth - The Rise of Nonviolent Resistance PRIO Policy Brief 19-2016.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Chenoweth, Erica. Nonviolent Resistance around the World. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2016. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/41fb64b6-5ce7-4027-9fad-6ed06217def1/Chenoweth - The Rise of Nonviolent Resistance PRIO Policy Brief 19-2016.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chenoweth |first1=Erica |title=Nonviolent Resistance around the World |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2016 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/41fb64b6-5ce7-4027-9fad-6ed06217def1/Chenoweth - The Rise of Nonviolent Resistance PRIO Policy Brief 19-2016.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chenoweth2016nonviolent, author = {Chenoweth, Erica}, title = {{Nonviolent Resistance around the World}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2016}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/41fb64b6-5ce7-4027-9fad-6ed06217def1/Chenoweth - The Rise of Nonviolent Resistance PRIO Policy Brief 19-2016.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }