Nepal, Oct. 27 -- In September 2025, Nepal's Gen Z uprising brought down a government and exposed a generation's deep frustration with the state. Within days, youth-led protests reshaped the country's political landscape. One of the shortest yet most consequential protest movements in Nepal's recent democratic history, as it forced the resignation of the then prime minister. In its aftermath, Gen Z representatives recommended a former chief justice to lead an interim government tasked with holding elections within six months. The uprising revealed how quickly accumulated public anger can become a direct challenge to political power.

A year later, in France, I find myself watching unsettlingly familiar scenes unfold. Some public building...