Green political theory generally emphasizes universal values and associated projects at the expense of particular contexts. However, these contexts affect the plausibility and attractiveness of theoretical projects. In light of the current spectrum of green political thinking from anarchist to statist poles, this paper shows that sometimes statist strategies make sense, sometimes more confrontational action is required, and sometimes a mix is appropriate. The kind of context highlighted is state structure as it faces civil society. Comparative historical analysis of four countries (the United States, Norway, Germany, and the United Kingdom) is brought to bear.

If stronger global governmental institutions of the sort favored by Robert Paehlke come into being, resistance is necessary to influence them in the direction of social justice and environmental sustainability. If the international system remains more decentralized, transnational resistance networks are necessary to influence the content and relative weight of the discourses that order the system. Either way, resistance is central to effective global green politics.