Some call it The Shift, others Blessed Unrest, but whatever is going on, even leading politicians now point to a "civilian surge" - the idea that around the world people who have hugely different access to opportunities and wealth nonetheless inhabit an increasingly common universe where mobile phones can tell bloggers in Iran or protestors in Burma or street kids in Nairobi about how life can be - that is creating a different context for international politics.
But is this shift real? Will people at large become more activist and compassionate in 2021 than in 2011? Can we really change from our selfish ways and step into the shoes of others for sustained periods?
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