UKRAIN

This is a new kind of war, waged by a new kind of citizen. The failure of the Russian forces to subdue Ukraine quickly has astonished experts, officials, and journalists worldwide. The Ukrainian resistance is just the latest example of the new attitudes and abilities of 21st-century citizens. While social media has been getting a lot of attention in this «TikTok War,» the real story is the growing determination and capacity of ordinary people.

Around the world, ordinary people are fundamentally different from people of generations past. These trends have changed citizenship itself. We need to understand this shift so that societies, especially democratic ones, can figure out how to adapt, both in war and peace. The war in Ukraine is instructive, in at least four ways.

Thanks to footage produced by thousands of people and viewed by millions, the war has a constantly unfolding cast of characters. Ukrainian farmers towing Russian vehicles, a soldier moonwalking in a field, people joyriding on a captured Russian tank, and a little girl singing «Let It Go» in a Kiev bomb shelter have become relatable, inspiring figures in the conflict. Ukrainians have success on the battlefield, they upload videos of burned tanks and downed planes. These conversations, in which they tell their parents they are OK and aren’t sure why they ended up in a war, may be the best hope for affecting Russian public opinion.

The Ukrainian hotline set up for Russians trying to get information on their loved ones on the front lines has also produced heartrending recordings. Nonviolent protests have sprung up around the world, both on the internet and on the streets, including in Russia and in occupied Ukrainian cities. The capacity of citizens to make this civil disobedience visible has rallied millions of others to their cause. People are filming the crowds that slow Russian convoys, and mapping protests around the world in precise geo-located detail, so that others can join in.

In addition to pressuring governments, many citizens are also sidestepping civil society institutions. They are supporting Ukrainians not just through traditional means like donating money to the Red Cross, but by using networks like AirBnB to send money directly to Ukrainian families. The changes in citizen attitudes and capacities are not all positive. Just like previous generations, 21st-century citizens can be selfish and unwilling to compromise, saddled with bias and racist assumptions, and fundamentally misinformed.

The desire of citizens to connect, be heard, and get things done seems universal. Governments should adapt to the shift in citizenship by explaining these potential democracy innovations to their citizens, offering different democracy options and working with citizens to implement them, and measuring their impacts. Putin’s regime seems more like a criminal institution than a political or military one. And it still may be effective enough to win the war, because of the overwhelming Russian advantage in traditional military resources.

But even if the Russian military is victorious on the battlefield, it seems unlikely that the Russians can occupy, let alone govern, Ukraine for long. Whenever peace comes to Ukraine, and the rest of the world, we need to appreciate the new realities of what citizens want and can do. The greatest hope for democracy, justice, and peace is for leaders and institutions to interact more productively with the people they serve. Matt Leighninger is the Head of Democracy Innovation at the National Conference on Citizenship, a Congressionally-chartered nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening civic life in America.

He and Tina Nabatchi are the authors of Public Participation for 21st Century Democracy. He wrote this piece for Zocolo Public Square.