counterpower

Etymology

From counter- + power.

Why this word is great

COUNTERPOWER — [Noun] A political or other kind of power capable of challenging and potentially removing the power of another. From counter- ("against, opposing") + power ("ability to act or influence"). Unlike "opposition" (which refers to resistance or dissent) or "resistance" (which suggests passive or active defiance), counterpower is the architecture of an alternative regime—a shadow cabinet drafting laws in exile, a union’s strike fund amassing resources, the underground press humming with mimeographs. It is the filing cabinet of grievances becoming a manifesto, the quiet network of dissident officers exchanging glances across the mess hall, the slow erosion of a monarchy’s legitimacy by the steady hum of democratic practice. The most dangerous thing to power is not dissent, but a viable alternative, heavy with the weight of inevitability.

noun

A political or other kind of power capable of challenging and potentially removing the power of another.“In the hands of the few power can be called oppression, repression, exploitation or authoritarianism. Meanwhile movements for freedom, emancipation, liberation, human rights and democracy have a common idea at their heart. That idea is Counterpower.”