A general strike can be one of the most potent noncooperation methods
in the repertoire of nonviolent resistance. It is a widespread
cessation of labor in an effort to bring all economic activity to a
total standstill. Although it is easy to broadcast the call for a
general strike, it is exceedingly difficult to implement for the maximal
impact that it potentially exerts. What’s more, a general strike must
Unlike some of Occupy Wall Street’s iconic actions in recent months, May Day
did not include a scene of mass arrest. Several dozen arrests were
scattered throughout the day and night during various marches and
actions. But, as never before in the movement’s short history, arrests
There are over 200,000 migrant domestic workers living in Lebanon
today — a large number when you considered that Lebanon’s population is
only a little over 4 million. Most migrant workers live with their
Lebanese employers, cleaning their houses, washing their clothes,
cooking their food and looking after their children. Yet these workers
are not included under Lebanon’s labor laws — they are not entitled to
