QOTW

“What is the situation of the protests around the world (Latin America, Hong Kong, etc.)? They seem to have been out of the news for a while”

Indeed, they have been out of the news this year. We were at the brink of WWIII (not really but it certainly felt good panicking about it), we watched Koalas burn and cared about global warming for a few weeks (they are still very much burning btw) and 650,000 people died from a pandemic (the flu) last year. Oh, and some advertisement for Corona went viral. But the protests that filled headlines throughout November and December must be over since nobody is talking about them, right? 

Venezuela

When did the protests start? 10th of January 2019 (actually well before, but this is when the world started paying attention)

Why did the protests start? Presidential crisis and socio-economic reasons

What did the protests achieve? Opposition leader Guaido was invited to the State of the Union speech, that’s a start… Beyond that, it has been desperately frustrating (especially for Venezuelans of course) to see the complete lack of impact or evolution. Politics seem to have stagnated, with the local population increasingly suffering as a result.

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? Well, let’s just put it like this: In order to find the latest news on this issue we had to use google search functions and the best result came up on Yahoo news … we haven’t been on Yahoo news since the World Cup of 2010. 

Hong Kong

When did the protests start? 15th of March

Why did the protests start? Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 (evildoers would be sent to China) and pro-democracy demands.

What did the protests achieve? Bill was withdrawn and cancelling Sarah’s exchange. 

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? Hong Kong has been overcome with the Coronavirus… so… there’s that.

Iraq

When did the protests start? 1st of October 2019

Why did the protests start? Anti-Iranian-American Corruption + socio-economic reasons

What did the protests achieve? Resignation announcement by Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? Before officially leaving office, Abdul-Mahdi saved the world during his transition time in January: Iran called him ahead of their strikes at the US Airbase in Iraq as retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, He then informed the US, avoiding the death of more US soldiers and thereby possibly avoiding WWIII. An official thank you from the Westphalian Team on this note. 
Since then the media does not seem to care about them anymore.

Lebanon

When did the protests start? 17th of October

Why did the protests start? Corruption and socio-economic reasons

What did the protests achieve? Resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? The protests continue, but why? A new government has been put in place but instead of giving them a chance, the protests continue. Their problem is that they never formulated any real goals they could achieve. There can be no end if the end has not been defined. At the same time, the Instagram stories of our Lebanese friends have decreased to … 0. If the Lebanese elite in Madrid does not care, should we?

Chile

When did the protests start? 14th of October

Why did the protests start? Price in Public Transportation and Socio-Economic reasons

What did the protests achieve? Shuffle between ministers but nothing major, there is a referendum coming up but nobody knows what it is about.

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? Apparently numbers of protestors are rising #súperlunesfeminista

Catalonia

When did the protests start? 14th of October

Why did the protests start? The sentencing of nine Catalan independence leaders by the Spanish Supreme Court

What did the protests achieve? They moved El Clásico

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? We love Spain very much and would like to stay here. 

France

When did the protests start? 17th November 2018

Why did the protests start? To be honest, when are the French not protesting and rioting over something? Inequality… riots, France wins the World Cup … riots, Baguette too short… riots, fuel tax saving the planet … riots. Nothing new here.

What did the protests achieve? People in yellow vests scaring the hell out of us when going for dinner in France one day #MostEuropeanThingToSay

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? Liberté, Égalité, Manifestez!

India

When did the protests start? 4th of December 2019

Why did the protests start? Citizenship Amendment Act

What did the protests achieve? John Oliver is talking about it. Can’t get much bigger than that,

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? This is actually one that has not stagnated yet and deserves our full attention still. The future of India is on the line and, as a consequence, the future of a potential global superpower. 

Fridays for Future

When did the protests start? August 2018

Why did the protests start? There is this thing with global warming and everything

What did the protests achieve? People either hate Greta or think she’s the most amazing person in the world. She’s definitely having more impact than we ever will.

Did they end or do we simply not care any longer? When is it finally time for Saturdays for Spring Break?!

The problem with protests is that they are often unfocused and unsustained. The groups behind them are often too diverse to develop a clearly defined agenda or an agreement on what success looks like. (See Lebanon or Hongkong)) As a result, their impact is typically minimal despite significant short-term media attention. (Hence your question)

Does that mean that protests are useless? No, not necessarily, but they need to be accompanied by action that goes beyond shouting at police. Such action might be changes to voting patterns in democracies or genuine threats to establishments in totalitarian regimes. 

Which has happened before, Tunisia 2011 is a great example of how protests against an abusive government can lead to an extensive change in the political landscape of a country. An example of change through the democratic process is the Green Party in Germany. After the student protests of 68, leaders and participants of the movements came together and formed a union which later turned into a party. This party currently polls at 25% on the national level.