Nepal, Sept. 19 -- Not all waves of uprising deliver the changes people hope for. How can ours? How might we choose our next steps, learning from pathways of change from fellow citizens of the world?

In December 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, set himself on fire after police confiscated his wares. It sparked the Arab Spring-a sweeping revolt that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and others. Tunisia transitioned towards democracy, but elsewhere, old powers reasserted themselves. Egypt reverted to authoritarian rule; Libya, Yemen and Syria descended into civil war. Across many Arab Spring countries, conditions in terms of youth unemployment, press freedom and corruption now look worse than before.

Even wi...