Last
week, I watched hours of coverage of the Campaign Nonviolence conference
taking place in Los Alamos, NM.
I particularly liked the presentation given by
Prof. Erica Chenoweth at that conference. I found it so compelling, I tweeted the key points, just as fast as I could type. You can
watch the Chenoweth presentation here, or just read my notes below!
Basic findings
* Want to know which works better - #nonviolence or #violence? COUNT! (
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* Using the strictest measures - the #nonviolence approach still tallies more successes! (
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* "I was blown away" - the #nonviolence approach more successful by 2:1 margin! (
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* #Nonviolence #resistance works. (Even if YOU don't believe it!) (
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How nonviolence works
* #INCLUSION - #nonviolence campaigns work - 'cause they get more PEOPLE involved! (
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* in face of state #violence, #nonviolence #resistance actually gets MORE people involved (
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* (Put another way: #nonviolence is the way to get beyond "just males" protest) (
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* "looks like a party" ... "safety in numbers" ... [ ..... reach the tipping point!] (
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* fewer barriers to entry ... possibility of exit ... means MANY more participate (
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* Don't discount #moral factor: average person doesn't want to injure ( even in #army!) (
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BIG campaigns
* Q: What's the big deal about BIG campaigns? (
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* The bigger the campaign, the more it erodes "pillars of support" for power holders (
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* Big participation means you get inside heads of "instruments of repression" (#police) (
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* "Backfire" - even IF there's #violent repression, tends to ENCOURAGE more mass action! (
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* TWO big tools of #nonviolence #resistance: "concentration" AND "dispersion" (
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An example: IRAN
* Lessons of 100 days #revolution in #Iran - one of largest of all times (
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* Last 10 days of 100 days #revolution in #Iran - general strike, esp. #oil workers (
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* By end of 100 days #revolution in #Iran - even #POLICE were calling in sick (
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* #nonviolence campaigns TEN TIMES more likely to result in #democracy (measured at 5 yrs (
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Overcoming old myths
* all this contradicts MYTH: #nonviolence #resistance ineffective vs repressive opponents (
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* this ALSO contradicts MYTH: #nonviolence #resistance can't arise in closed society (
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* key MYTH to overcome: "little bit of #violence" helpful to (main) #nonviolence effort (
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* "little bit of #violence" PROBLEM #1: more generalized violence leads to lower participation (
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* if you're interested in #radical #change - look at the hard facts on what's worked w-w (
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Research challenges
* Research challenge #1: how can #minority movements draw in #majority? (
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* Research challenge #2: (indirect) #solidarity and #support: is it really contributing? (
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* Research challenge #3: what #leadership structure REALLY works? (
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* Research challenge #4: civil resistance in #war zones - e.g. #Iraq #Syria #Afghanistan (
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Taking this information to the wider world
* Big surprise: how ANGRY people get about #nonviolence! (vs. #violence) (
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* We're talking #paradigm shift! (Like Thomas Kuhn on #revolution in #science!) (
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* (PS - people's response to #Galileo was: KILL HIM!) (
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* "We must unlearn what we have learned." (Yoda) (
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* Maybe it's a problem of learning styles? (video vs text?) (
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* Teachers: ask for re-evaluation of #textbooks (eg #USA #history) (
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* #USA #history: learn about MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE underpinning #American #Revolution (
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RECAP: 4 attributes observed in successful #nonviolence resistance movement
* "Mass and diverse participation" (
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* "new techniques for #resistance" (
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* "obtain the defections of the elites" (
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* "maintain discipline in the face of repression" (
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FOR MORE: watch the full Chenoweth presentation here.
Related posts
This tweet seems perfectly timed because of what is about to happen in a few weeks in Chicago.
(See
Nonviolent Direct Action to Stop Police Crimes: Effective? )
Anyone who has had to write a speech knows that the hardest part is to
land on the main idea. Once you've got that right, the rest practically
writes itself.
(See
"The way to respond to ISIS is not through violence." )
Think about it:
Aircraft carriers and Tomahawk missiles.
Drums.
Where's the
real violence?
(See
War, War Protests, and "Technology" )
The decision about whether to live with the threat of nuclear annihilation is our decision. And that is why the entire country is mobilizing for mass action for nuclear disarmament in 2015. Are we capable of making sure the messengers -- Obama, Putin, the other agents of government -- hear their instructions from us clearly?
Elaine Scarry demonstrates that the power of one leader to obliterate millions of people with a nuclear weapon - a possibility that remains very real even in the wake of the Cold War - deeply violates our constitutional rights, undermines the social contract, and is fundamentally at odds with the deliberative principles of democracy.
Hibakusha is a word that has traditionally been used to refer to people affected by the nuclear blasts in Hiroshima and Nagaski. It is now being
broadened to recognize the many additional victims of acute affects of nuclear radiation (including fallout from tests and radioactivity from mining and processing). In fact, we are all subject to the impact and threat of nuclear radiation spread indiscriminately by nations and corporations.
