Political mobilization continues in the MENA region as people take to the streets and utilize other informal political means to call for reform and political change. Violent crackdowns, attempts at cooptation, and other means of suppression exercised by ruling regimes have not dented this mobilization. The panel draws on the experiences of the speakers to reflect on what is keeping mobilization going as a tool of public expression of dissent against all odds, lessons learned from national and regional contexts, and the link between formal and informal political engagement. Speakers Hayder Al-Shakeri, Research Associate, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House Chaima Bouhlel, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House Asma Khalifa, Research Fellow and PhD Candidate, German Institute for Global and Area Studies Shadi Sadr, Co-founder and Executive Director, Justice for Iran Chair: Alaa Tartir, Director and Senior Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute