Have we forgotten legacies and lessons of Martin Luther King’s civil rights movement, Gandhi in India, Lech Walesa in Poland, Norwegian Resistance WWII, Argentina’s Mothers and Grandmothers of the Disappeared, and many others…
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here folks. Why not make use of 50 years of research on Strategic Nonviolent Conflict Strategy
198 METHODS OF NONVIOLENT PROTEST AND PERSUASION,Here for pdf
It’s obvious that we can wait no longer for our political process to work.
I have no doubt in my mind that the strategies contained in the links below will return traditional democracy to our republic. Got doubts? See the end of this diary for links to some of history’s well known nonviolent conflicts.
…the ruler can only rule with the consent of the cooperation of the people… since the people provide the ruler with the sources of his power, then the people can also withdraw their consent to be ruled by withholding the sources of the power they collectively provide to the regime… -Robert L. Helvey
more after the fold
All of the material below except [my comments, shall be in brackets] is transcribed by me from, Robert L. Helvey’s On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals pdf download here
(…)Sources of power 1. Authority, 2. Human Resources, 3. Skills and Knowledge, 4. Intangible Factors, 5. Material Resources, 6. Sanctions
Identification of Pillars of Support
…Those waging a nonviolent struggle against an authoritarian regime… must give keen attention to key institutions and organizations. [Those discussed are Police, Military, Civil Servants, Media, Business Community, Youth, Workers, Religious Organizations, Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)]
Obedience
…Obedience is at “the heart of political power.” A ruler cannot rule if the people do not obey. It is this insight upon which strategies for nonviolent struggle are based. If our purpose is to motivate the public to withdraw its consent to be ruled by dictators or other authoritarian regimes, we should understand why people are obedient in the first place. [Those discussed are Habit, Fear of Sanctions, Self-Interest, Moral Obligations, Superhuman Factors, Psychological Identification with the Rulers, Zone of Indifference, and Absence of Self-Confidence].
(…) Human beings are not genetically pre-disposed to be submissive. Obedience is primarily a combination of habits, fear and interests–and habit and interests can be changed and fear can be overcome.
[Some excerpts from Chapter Four, Mechanisms and Methods of Nonviolent Struggle]
Mechanisms- The ideas of strategic nonviolent struggle must move from the theory to practice in order to bring political and social change. Important in the transition from ideas to action is the selection by the opposition of the preferred mechanism, or process, for influencing attitudes and behaviors of the rulers. This decision will, in turn then influence the selection of methods for achieving the desired changes in the relationship between the people and their government.
Conversion- (…) Conversion is the primary mechanism for expanding and strengthening the pro-democracy forces. The skillful use of propaganda to contrast life under democratic and authoritarian regimes and news about current nonviolent actions occurring throughout the world are helpful in conversion efforts. … Most importantly, a vision of tomorrow” with a concept of how that vision could be achieve should be presented to the public.
[my emphasis here Most importantly, a vision of tomorrow” with a concept of how that vision could be achieve should be presented to the public.]
Accommodation- (…) The lesson here is that elections are too important to the regime to lose since that defeat would mean the loss of legitimacy both at home and in the international community. For the same reason, elections are also too important for the democratic opposition to lose. Preparations should be made to insure that the public is prepared to validate their votes at the ballot box with carefully planned measures to thwart the regime’s efforts to rig the results.
Coercion- (…) Coercive demands that challenge the very existence of an oppressive government should be made only after careful planning and an objective analysis of the chance for success has occurred. (…) Attempts to coerce without the capacity to impose the threatened sanctions can result in the loss of momentum of the democratic struggle… It is imperative that the capabilities assessments be reviewed during the planning and execution of major nonviolent campaigns to avoid such adverse consequences to a movement.
Disintegration- (…) Once the opposition recognizes that the balance of power has shifted in its favor, the regime should be attacked on a broad front by using stronger methods of noncooperation and intervention. If these attacks are sustained, the regime will disintegrate, as the sources of power needed for maintaining its rule will no longer be available.
Methods of Nonviolent Action
Protest and Persuasion- (…) … serve to put the public on notice that the nonviolent opposition movement is challenging the government for specified abuses.
Noncooperation- Noncooperation is the most powerful category of the nonviolent methods available to opposition movements. Wise selection and planning for this group of actions within a strategy enhances the likelihood of removing sources of power from the regime…No government can survive without the cooperation of the people. The message that noncooperation seeks to convey is that “we, the people, will no longer help the government to function…Noncooperation on the international level as well as within the country’s borders can help the supporters of political change. [Examples follow]
Social Noncooperation – Every person in the country can practice social noncooperation. Avoiding social interactions with … members of the regime can be devastating to officials and members of their families…. Shunning sends a message that the people cannot tolerate those who support the regime. It should, however, be used with care and precision. If it is used incorrectly, it could interfere with ongoing efforts to move regime supporters into the ranks of the opposition. (…)
Economic Noncooperation- [for examples and discussion see source material]
Political Noncooperation- (…) Declarations, manifestos, and other documents rejecting the presumed authority and therefore the legitimacy of a regime can be used to convince the public that the regime has no right to exercise authority. These acts of protest are then followed by boycotts of government institutions, work slowdowns by civil servants, and innumerable opportunities for civil disobedience by the general public, which, if widely and consistently carried out, can neutralize or even disintegrate the power of an authoritarian regime.
Intervention- Nonviolent actions whose intent or effect disrupts established behavior patterns, policies, relationships or institutions are acts of intervention. (…) …US history… Lunch counter sit-ins during the US civil rights movement were highly visible and effective actions (…) Acts of intervention can weaken and possibly accelerate the collapse of the regime’s pillars of support. With a well thought-out strategy, supporting plans can be quickly adjusted to exploit present opportunities. Without a strategy and plans that anticipate needs for adjustment, there may be a loss of momentum.
Security Concerns- It is prudent to assume that at some point every opposition group waging a struggle against a government will be targeted and penetrated by the regime under attack. While infiltration can be a serious problem, government informants can also be used as a conduit for sending selected information to the government. [See examples] (…) There are some activities that need to be protected from the disclosure to the opponent. (…) The Serbian resistance group OTPOR developed a leadership that was unknown to most of its members. The leadership never met as a group but only briefly with one another as was required.
[END On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict: Thinking About the Fundamentals]Order paperback Here or download book on(pdf) Here
FAQ on Nonviolent Strategy
Nonviolent struggle can be used in a variety of circumstances for a variety of objectives. Applications of Nonviolent Action
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Note links below for various well known nonviolent conflicts
A Century of Nonviolent Conflict
India 1930, Denmark 1940, Nashville 1960, Poland 1980, Chile 1983, South Africa 1984, Others
(Cross posted at European Tribune)
