Demonstrators protest in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on Oct. 1.

Demonstrators protest in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on Oct. 1.

Photographer: Kyle Lam/Bloomberg
Economics

The Rash of Protests Around the Globe Have One Thing in Common

Hong Kong martial arts guru Bruce Lee urged followers to “empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water.”

That philosophy has driven months of anti-government unrest in Hong Kong. And it applies to protest movements elsewhere that are operating with quick-changing tactics and without clear leadership.