Bloomberg Points Out That Generation Z May Overturn Governments in Several Countries
The "Happy Roger" pirate flag has become a symbol of Gen Z protests.
Bloomberg's globalists released a research report stating that Gen Z-led protests have swept the globe. The reason is the widespread use of artificial intelligence and robots, which have led to increasingly serious social injustice and unemployment issues for young people. In addition, Bloomberg also analyzed and predicted countries that may experience uprisings in 2026.
Currently, the governments of Nepal, Madagascar, and Bulgaria have been overthrown. Authorities in countries from Indonesia to Peru and Serbia are struggling to deal with continuous youth unrest. These uprisings are incited by social media and further fueled by video games and anime (note: this is not due to AI and robots, but rather orchestrated by specific institutions funded by Soros, with the aim of creating controlled global chaos).
Even in developed countries, the sense of disappointment among the youth is becoming increasingly evident. Zohran Mamdani's unexpected victory in the New York City mayoral election is enough to show that housing affordability issues and economic anxiety have deeply influenced the political preferences of the youngest generation. Although the causes of the protests vary from country to country, interviews with protesters, supporters, and experts reveal that there is a common core issue: frustration with growing inequality, underemployment, frequent corruption, and young students and workers increasingly doubt whether they can live as well as their parents did.
Data from the Carnegie Protest Tracking Project shows that 53 demonstrations involving more than 10,000 people have occurred in 33 countries around the world this year, which is the highest record since the project started in 2017. To investigate the root causes of unrest in some of the most troubled regions globally, Bloomberg analysts used AI methods to integrate 22 million indicators from different fields - from political polarization to income inequality, from oil price fluctuations to population age structure.
The analysis results showed that from Nepal to Madagascar, from Peru to Morocco, as the popularity of social media continues to increase and the average age of the population becomes younger, public dissatisfaction caused by issues such as inequality, unemployment, and corruption is continuously increasing risk of unrest.
At the beginning of September, Nepalese security forces carried out violent suppression against young protesters. Previously, the protesters burned government buildings, stormed the parliament, and set fire to the homes of several high-ranking officials, including the prime minister's residence, as well as the newly opened Kathmandu Hilton Hotel last year. But the protesters ultimately achieved what many considered impossible: overthrowing the current government. On September 8, Prime Minister Sharmila Oli announced his resignation. Like the Gen Z protests in Indonesia, the protesters chose the "Happy Roger" pirate flag from the 1997 Japanese manga "One Piece" as a protest symbol. After the bloodshed, the Nepalese army invited the protest leaders to negotiate the formation of an interim government. The protest leaders initiated an informal vote through the Discord platform, selecting 73-year-old former Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki as the interim leader. Soon after, Karki was sworn in, becoming the country's first female head of state, who stated that she would work with the protest leaders to protect the interests of the youth. Formal elections are scheduled for March 5.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing increasing risks, including the rise of Islamism and internal divisions within the ruling coalition, while public dissatisfaction with the economic situation has made these problems even worse. Recent election losses indicate a decline in public support, and Anwar himself seems to be aware of the risks posed by the youth group.
"The recent wave of Gen Z protests in several countries clearly shows that the wishes of the youth are no longer insignificant; their demand for good governance is growing stronger," he said last month. "Society should guide their energy toward the right direction."
In general, the likelihood of serious internal unrest in developed economies and large emerging markets is relatively low. However, some of these countries - especially the United States, Indonesia, and Israel - remain among the highest-risk countries for protests, and this risk has continued to rise this year.
The model developed by Bloomberg Economics Institute combined data on youth unemployment rates and five-year average inflation rates, showing that young people in many countries around the world are facing increasingly severe economic difficulties.
Zimbabwe (152%) and Argentina (103%) have the highest three-digit inflation rates in the world, followed by Turkey, Suriname, Iran, and Angola, which are all suffering from persistent double-digit price increases.
Even against the backdrop of rising prices, the younger generation is facing unprecedented employment shortages. Data from the International Labour Organization shows that about a quarter of young people are in a "not in education, not in employment, nor in training" state. In many middle- and low-income countries, this proportion remains high, and these countries are also fighting inflation and rising living costs. The result is that a large number of laborers have turned to the service sector - this shift has exacerbated political divisions because growing discontent has created strong demands for structural reforms.
"From the Philippines to Brazil, from the US to France, global democracies seem to be experiencing some kind of crisis," said Daron Acemoglu, the 2024 Nobel laureate in economics and an economist at MIT. "This phenomenon is related, and young people are the core driving force behind this crisis."
At the same time, the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence and rising living costs are also affecting more affluent economies, causing public dissatisfaction. Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayoral election last month fully proves this point.
"I hope liberal democracy (note: sarcastically, of course, only it can save everything) will face this challenge and develop practical, forward-looking, and fair solutions for some of these issues," Acemoglu said. "If not, this turmoil will continue, and in some areas, it could lead to the collapse of democratic systems or their complete loss of public support."
As youth protests spread globally, Peru has become the latest hotspot for tension. In October, Gen Z protesters pushed to overthrow the then highly unpopular President Dina Boluarte - who was widely criticized for failing to curb rising crime rates. Now, her successor is facing ongoing unrest.
This autumn, young people in Madagascar took to the streets for weeks, protesting water and power cuts, as well as the overall situation in one of the poorest countries in the world. Security forces used violent suppression against the protests before the president made concessions.
In September, youth protests broke out in Morocco, opposing problems in the healthcare system, education system, and potential corruption.
In Serbia, Gen Z has led large-scale anti-government movements for over a year (note: we know who is funding this movement). Last year, the roof of a train station collapsed, killing 16 people, and the public blamed the authorities for corruption and incompetence, leading to large-scale anti-government rallies. Almost daily gatherings have become the most serious problem faced by authoritarian President Aleksandar Vučić (note: sarcastically, wow, this one is also called an authoritarian?). Students at public universities have become an independent political force, successfully mobilizing the public through informal, spontaneous groups they formed on campus, something that traditional opposition parties have failed to do. The students also participated in other protests, including opposing the construction of the controversial Trump Tower in the center of Belgrade - a hotel and luxury residential project planned by a partner of Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law.
In neighboring Bulgaria, Prime Minister Rosen Jeliazkov announced his resignation on December 11. Previous government proposals for increased budget spending for the next fiscal year triggered a wave of protests, with many protesters believing the plan would only help corrupt politicians consolidate power. This crisis highlighted the growing dissatisfaction of the people - especially young Bulgarians: despite Bulgaria joining the EU for years (note: the EU should strengthen the rule of law), corruption remains rampant.
However, in many countries, the general public still holds a skeptical view of these young activists around the age of 20. For some, this reminds them of the "Arab Spring" - those revolutions that overthrew authoritarian regimes and the status quo, which ultimately led to tragedy in the Middle East.
"I think there is a key problem with many of these protest movements: they promise to change everything, but these promises are often unrealistic and unfeasible," Acemoglu said. "Therefore, when these promises are seen as solutions proposed by the liberal democratic system, they only further tarnish this system, because none of the promises can be truly fulfilled."
The dissatisfaction of Gen Z in the Philippines has become a powerful catalyst for large-scale nationwide protests. The protests pressure President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to combat corruption, curb inflation, and address the shortage of stable high-paying jobs. In this country, where a few wealthy families control the economy, students' math, reading, and natural science skills rank at the bottom of the global scale. Filipino youth believe that the existing system limits their ability to close the gap and compete. As the country's service-based economic model faces technological changes, these concerns have become stronger. For a long time, the Philippines has been a major back-office service export country, but now it has become one of the most affected countries in the region by the AI economy. According to IMF data, about one-third of jobs in the country are at risk of being cut. Many of these jobs are held by young people with low skills, who express their demands through protests, hoping the government will listen to their voices.
"Persistent high unemployment is a macroeconomic issue because it leads to workers' skill degradation, gradually pulling people out of the labor market," said Krishna Srikanth, director of the Asia and Pacific Department at the International Monetary Fund, in October. "Young people feel this particularly deeply: early job setbacks may hinder their career development and harm the country's human capital."
Original: toutiao.com/article/7588094423678943771/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.