Many were filled with hopes during the Arab uprisings, but now look upon the region with despair. Against the current, Micheline Ishay, Distinguished Professor of International Studies and Human Rights at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, reveals the potential of subterranean human rights forces and charts realistic and progressive pathways for a region beset by political repression, economic distress, sectarian conflict, a refugee crisis and violence against women.