View this post on the web at [link removed]
A wave of youth-led protests has been sweeping the globe, and it is unlike anything we’ve seen since the Arab Spring [ [link removed] ]. Over the past three years, Gen Z protesters have toppled governments, stormed parliaments, and forced presidents to flee their own palaces. Bloomberg suggests the unrest is being driven by a generation “crushed by soaring rents and living costs and staring down a future where robots and AI threaten their jobs [ [link removed] ].” The protests are leaderless, organized on TikTok and Discord, and spreading across three continents with a speed that has caught governments completely off guard.
Here’s the scorecard (so far):
Sri Lanka (2022): Protesters stormed the presidential palace [ [link removed] ] over economic collapse and President Rajapaksa fled the country.
Bangladesh (2024): Students ousted PM Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule over a corrupt government jobs quota system [ [link removed] ]; over 1,400 were killed. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was installed as interim leader and Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia.
Kenya (2024, 2026): Gen Z stormed parliament and burned part of it [ [link removed] ], forcing President Ruto to withdraw a $2.7 billion tax bill. Dozens were killed, and the protests restarted this year.
Serbia (2024): A train station collapse in Novi Sad [ [link removed] ] triggered massive anti-corruption protests led by students demanding accountability for systemic negligence.
Nepal (2025): PM KP Sharma Oli was toppled [ [link removed] ] by youth-led protests over corruption and economic mismanagement.
Indonesia (2025): Youth protested parliamentary salary hikes and corruption in school meals [ [link removed] ]. The government rescinded the salary increase.
Morocco (2025): The “Gen-Z 212” movement [ [link removed] ] was a mass protest over economic conditions. Thousands were arrested and handed harsh prison sentences.
Philippines (2025): Corruption in flood-control projects led to protests that forced the House speaker to resign [ [link removed] ].
Madagascar (2025): The government fell [ [link removed] ] to youth protests over economic mismanagement and corruption.
Tanzania (2025): Post-election youth protests were met with a brutal crackdown; more than 1,000 were killed [ [link removed] ].
And don’t forget about the United States. That same generational frustration and economic anger are fueling the rise of democratic socialism and leading to the elections of far-left candidates across the country, most notably in New York City.
So, what do protesters in Dhaka, Nairobi, and New York City have in common? To start, they are all young. These movements are all about promises that today’s young feel are not being honored. And these young people are for the most part over-educated and under-employed. They did what they were told—studied hard, got degrees, played by the rules. But then they discovered the economy had no place for them. Throw in the power of social media and these disruptive youth movements have viral potential; they are leaderless, decentralized…and spread quickly.
Not surprisingly, the risk of unrest is especially pronounced in countries with a youth bulge, often thought to populations where more than 20% are between 15 and 29 years of age. In Africa, for example, 60% of the population is under 25 [ [link removed] ]. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) has found that large cohorts of young adults with limited opportunities “exacerbate unemployment, prolong dependency on parents, diminish self-esteem and fuel frustrations.”
And then there’s what political scientists call the surplus male theory: the argument, laid out in Valerie Hudson’s Bare Branches [ [link removed] ], suggests societies with large numbers of young men with limited marital and economic prospects tend to either go to war or take to the streets. The logic is straightforward: young men with nothing to lose and no stake in the system are a dry tinderbox; inequality and joblessness are matches that transform their despair into protest.
It now appears it’s India’s turn. India’s Chief Justice recently called unemployed youth and social media activists “cockroaches” and “parasites.” [ [link removed] ] The insult inspired a digital strategist named Abhijeet Dipke to turn the slur into a brand. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) went from satirical meme into one of the fastest growing political movements in Indian history.
Recent revelations of corruption have thrown fuel onto a simmering fire leading to significant youth unrest. Massive paper leaks in India’s 2026 national examinations [ [link removed] ], including the NEET medical entrance exam, led many to believe the supposed meritocracy of exams was a smokescreen hiding corruption. In a country where exam scores determine your career, your income, and your marriage prospects, a rigged exam is more than a scandal, it’s an existential crisis. Students who studied for years learned the test had been sold before it was presented. Some committed suicide.
Thousands of young people camped on the streets of New Delhi. On July 20, over 10,000 tried to march to Parliament [ [link removed] ], but were turned away as police fired tear gas and beat activists with batons. 150 protesters were wounded. Multiple videos showed the police attacking marchers; no footage has emerged of any violence by the protesters. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained.
And then, unexpectedly, the government blinked [ [link removed] ]. On July 25, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned. Given the Modi government rarely concedes anything, I found it significant that it agreed to all three of the CJP demands: (a) Pradhan’s resignation; (b) no prosecution of protesters; and (c) compensation for families of students who died. CNBC called it [ [link removed] ] the moment India’s Gen Z “forced Modi to listen, respond and act…exposing chinks in the ruling party’s armor.”
It seems the cockroaches won. And the playbook was identical to every other Gen Z revolt on the list. Begin with social media organizing. Have a leaderless movement structure. Exhibit moral clarity and clear objectives. And have a willingness to endure resistance (including beatings in the street) until the government either cracks down harder or gives in. India’s Chief Justice called them parasites. Around two months later, the education minister was forced to resign.
The Journal of Democracy [ [link removed] ] warns that toppling a leader is the easy part. The harder question is whether any of this translates into lasting change. Will the movements create jobs, affordable housing, or exams that aren’t rigged? History suggests they probably won’t, but this generation doesn’t seem interested in waiting to find out. These battles will be long and drawn out but today’s youth are resilient and determined. I wouldn’t bet against them. After all, cockroaches are among nature’s most accomplished survivors.
VIKRAM MANSHARAMANI is an entrepreneur, consultant, scholar, neighbor, husband, father, volunteer, and professional generalist who thinks in multiple-dimensions and looks beyond the short-term. Self-taught to think around corners and connect original dots, he spends his time speaking with global leaders in business, government, academia, and journalism. He’s currently the Chairman and CEO of Goodwell Foods, a manufacturer of private label frozen pizza. LinkedIn has twice listed him as its #1 Top Voice in Money & Finance, and Worthprofiled him as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. Vikram earned a PhD From MIT, has taught at Yale and Harvard, and is the author of three books, The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World [ [link removed] ], Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence [ [link removed] ] and Boombustology: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst [ [link removed] ]. Vikram lives in Lincoln, New Hampshire with his wife and two children, where they can usually be found hiking or skiing.
Unsubscribe [link removed]?
