THE MORE THINGS CHANGE...

Youth protests across the world have captured headlines, but can they force meaningful reforms?

- BY AMIR DAFTARI

UNCERTAINTY HANGS OVER THE NEW WAVE of youth uprisings shaking capitals from Madagascar to Morocco. Spontaneous demonstrations—angry, meme-fueled and borderless—have escalated to topple leaders and force concessions, yet the movements’ next chapters remain unwritten. Across continents, Gen Z protesters now face a question older revolutions have struggled to answer: after the outrage, what comes next?

In Madagascar, a “transitional authority” led by the military has replaced President Andry Rajoelina, who fled the capital in early October amid mass demonstrations over power cuts, joblessness and corruption. In Nepal, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli’s resignation followed deadly unrest sparked by his government's social media ban. In Morocco and Indonesia, anger over inequality, spending priorities and elite privilege continues to simmer, even as protests fade from the headlines.

Each of these movements reflects local grievances, yet they share something larger: a generational refusal to accept politics as usual. These are not revolts born of ideology, but of exhaustion—with corruption, hypocrisy and the widening gap between citizens and the powerful. “We grew up online,” said one young protester from Madagascar, speaking on condition of anonymity because of fears of reprisals. “Now the streets are our new timeline.”

Defined by Connection

Unlike earlier protest waves, this generation’s uprisings are leaderless, hyperconnected and fluent in the visual language of the internet. Pop culture serves as both a rallying cry and a common dialect.