Discussion: Strategic Nonviolence

You may assume, as do many others, that international conflicts always result in violence. However, conflict can be nonviolent; it doesn’t always result in bloodshed. When parties choose to engage in a nonviolent approach to conflict, it usually is to change power dynamics and imbalances. Nonviolence is a critical middle phase that may occur after negotiation and before peacebuilding. At this point, parties escalate conflict in order to secure or attain their human rights and defend their homeland. Nonviolence involves using strategies designed to satisfy the needs of all parties involved. Your course text focuses on the most common strategies. Additionally, the assigned article, “CANVAS Core Curriculum: A Guide to Effective Nonviolent Struggle,” lists 198 strategies suggested by Dr. Gene Sharp, founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, and a scholar of nonviolence. Your resources also refer to strategies such as methods, approaches, and actions.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review Chapter 6 in your course text, The Little Book of Strategic Peacebuilding, and pay particular attention to the map of peacebuilding.
• Review Chapter 7 in your course text, The Little Book of Strategic Peacebuilding. Focus on strategies of nonviolence.
• Review the assigned pages in “CANVAS Core Curriculum: A Guide to Effective Nonviolent Struggle.” Consider the methods of nonviolent action, Gene Sharp’s list of 198 nonviolent actions, and the overview of nonviolent conflict in Serbia.
• Review the article, “Recognizing the Power of Nonviolent Action.” Pay particular attention to the section titled, “Nonviolent Movements Against Governments Opposed by the United States.”
• Review the assigned pages in the article, “Why Civil Resistance Works.” Take note of each case study, and pay attention to the systems and approaches used in each country.
• Select a country from your assigned Learning Resources that has experienced success with nonviolent strategies.
• Consider two nonviolent strategies that the country used and why they were successful.
• Think about how the strategies might be successful in another country/conflict.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a brief description of the country that you selected. Explain two nonviolent strategies that it used. Explain how and why each strategy was successful in that country and how and why it might be useful in another country or conflict. Be specific.