Each issue of the Journal features a Forum section that brings together academics, policymakers, and other professionals to analyze a single issue in depth. By examining the topic from a unique perspective, each Forum contributor incorporates his or her personal experiences and knowledge to offer Journal readers a complete perspective on the issue at hand. Previous Forums have examined globalization, megacities, transnational crime, space-based weapons, and the intersection of religion and politics.

Today's methods of dissent—sometimes peaceful, often violent, and usually controversial—take many forms in the age-old quest for social and political change. Globalization has become an ever-present force of transformation, affecting how opposition to the status quo arises and how people express their opposition. Technology and trade liberalization provide citizens with immediate access to information that shapes how they voice their dissent. At the same time, traditional factors—ethnic, economic, religious—continue to be a source of tension, provoking dissent in numerous ways. This Forum examines the evolving dynamics of contemporary dissent. While keeping an eye on dissent's consistent themes, such as the exclusion of minorities and debates over non-violent tactics, this Forum also explores the effects of new forces, from the internet to the WTO, on how people experience and confront marginalization. Examining the dynamics of dissent allows us to better understand how changes will continue to unfold as our diverse world becomes ever more integrated.