How to start a revolution
From Serbia to Egypt, pro-democracy protesters have acknowledges the influence of Gene Sharp's blueprint for toppling dictators. Sharp is persuaded that non-violence can be more powerful than violence, and successful too.
When the dictator sends tanks to confront you in the square, throw flowers at the tanks, as they did in Cairo, and overwhelm the soldiers with expressions of shared humanity and shared citizenship. Sharp's pamphlet lists 198 "non-violent weapons" for confronting dictators and their regimes.
To those who suggest that violence is the best way to break a dictator, Sharp replies: "By placing confidence in violent means, one has chosen the very type of struggle with which the oppressors nearly always have superior- ity. The dictators are equipped to apply violence overwhelmingly. However long or briefly these democrats can continue, eventually the harsh military realities usually become inescapable. The dictators almost always have superiority in military hardware, ammunition, transportation, and the size of military forces. Despite bravery, the democrats are (almost always) no match."
Instead, Sharp offers readers an accessible guidebook in which he sketches a roadmap for regime change. It ends with these words:
"There are three major conclusions to the ideas sketched here:
• Liberation from dictatorships is possible;
• Very careful thought and strategic planning will be required to achieve it; and
• Vigilance,hardwork,anddisciplinedstruggle,oftenatgreat cost, will be needed.
The oft quoted phrase "Freedom is not free" is true. No outside force is coming to give oppressed people the freedom they so much want. People will have to learn how to take that freedom themselves. Easy it cannot be. If people can grasp what is required for their own liberation, they can chart courses of action which, through much travail, can eventually bring them their freedom. Then, with diligence they can construct a new democratic order and prepare for its defense. Freedom won by struggle of this type can be durable. It can be maintained by a tenacious people committed to its preservation and enrichment."
A strategy matched by tenacity is what we have seen unfolding in recent weeks across the middle east. Photocopies of Sharp's book are circulating in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and in other countries. More and more people are now recognising Sharp's little book as one of the most important texts of the 20th century and one of the few texts that is already redefining the global politics of this century.
Read Sharp's , which he founded.
Read his
Read .
Read an article by Ruaridh Arrow, who is finishing a documentary about Sharp.
Read Tina Rosenberg's "
Comment number 1.
At 22nd Feb 2011, newlach wrote:It may simply be my computer, but I have clicked twice on the link "From Dictatorship to Democracy" and the document has failed properly to load each time.
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Comment number 2.
At 22nd Feb 2011, heretical wrote:It seems like Gandhi 2.0
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Comment number 3.
At 22nd Feb 2011, mccamleyc wrote:heretical, I don't think he claimed to have invented the method, he's just crystalizing the elements based on research of successful peaceful revolutions. Sounds very interesting, Will, must go and read and then overthrow your blog.
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Comment number 4.
At 22nd Feb 2011, Will_Crawley wrote:All the links are opening for me.
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Comment number 5.
At 22nd Feb 2011, Heliopolitan wrote:Well crikey it seems to be working. What is happening now in the "Arab world" is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen, and it may not be too much to expect real actual democracy emerge from the wreckage of these dictatorships. But it'll be a treacherous course - as I mentioned on my esteemed blog, liberation is not liberation unless it is followed by liberty.
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Comment number 6.
At 23rd Feb 2011, romejellybeen wrote:Can anyone inform me?
I've been watching the English speaking version of Al Jazeera. I assumed it would give a balanced coverage of what is going on. Instead, it just spouts propaganda all day long, right up there with FOX News.
What is Al Jazeera and who funds it?
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Comment number 7.
At 23rd Feb 2011, U14793970 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 8.
At 27th Feb 2011, SierraOscar wrote:I genuinely think William should take over that show that's currently hosted by that bloke Steve with a P,H.
He more than demonstrated a superior style and conviction whilst dealing with those 'politicians' on this morning's Sunday Sequence. ( I couldn't believe some of the tripe that the 'politicians' were espousing.)
So how's about it folks ? Let's start a revolution and vote William into the position he rightly deserves.
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Comment number 9.
At 27th Feb 2011, J Clarkson wrote:True for now, but Freedom won by struggle of any type is durable is untrue if we take into account resource demand and supply over the longer period. None of this will be applicable when the oil gets short. BP figures on oil at just 1% world consumption growth per year means even with sizeable more finds, demand is so high, that it must run short - peak - in the next 20 years and is all gone by 2050 or earlier (EU portal puts it at 2046).Unless the whole world quickly gets together not to plan its future but to conserve energy and stabilise and reduce its population now, then we shall go the same way that Easter Island did. We are a pale blue dot floating in a vacuum. No aliens are going to come and help us. No ET, God, gods or any other forces are out there to help. Then violence will dominate, and those who have will want to keep what they have at any cost. There's no easy way for humans to replace oil consumption, so they either die off due to lack of food and medicines,or they kill each other. We shall return to the stone age, and its not a matter of IF, but more of WHEN. Without oil all forms of metal,food, gas, and coal suddenly become uneconomical to extract at the ever growing demand. Malthusian Revolutions are always bloody affairs. History teaches us this over and over again.
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