Hope Loudon is an activist and writer who holds a Bachelor of International Affairs from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has worked in journalism and nonprofits both at home and abroad, and her writing has appeared on platforms such as Huffington Post, Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, Truth-out.org, and ChinaDialogue.net. She is presently pursuing her Master of Public Policy at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. This article was contributed to Heinrich Böll Foundation as part of an Applied Policy Lab from Central European University’s School of Public Policy.