---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Romi Elnagar <bluesapphire48@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 11:47 PM
Subject: [bangla-vision] US Nonviolence Centre Trained Egyptian Activists
To:
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2011.
Jack DuVall posted the following letter to the editor:
On February 15, 2011, the Financial Times carried an article entitled, "US non-violence centre trained Egypt activists." This article contained a false claim about the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) and left another erroneous impression about ICNC.
First, our Center has not advocated "civil disobedience methods to overthrow governments." The Center is an educational foundation that provides information about how civilian-based movements and campaigns over the past 100 years have used civil resistance to obtain human rights, achieve self-determination, resist military occupation, and dissolve oppression of all kinds. We have never taught anyone how "to overthrow governments."
Second, our Center did not collaborate on "yearly workshops" for Egyptians, or help "translate online action into on-the-ground resistance." We provided video and print materials for a seminar convened by another organization in Egypt in 2006 – as we do for dozens of conferences and seminars every year all over the world – and thereafter we supported and observed two regional workshops in Jordan that used knowledge and materials that we helped develop.
In the interest of full disclosure, our direct educational help to Egyptians was through a week-long seminar on nonviolent action hosted by the Ibn Khaldun Centre in Cairo in 2007, at the invitation of Dr. Saad Ibrahim, at which our staff and academic advisors spoke, and by welcoming eight Egyptians involved in education and democratic activism to participate in three of our annual Fletcher Summer Institutes for the Advanced Study of Nonviolent Conflict at Tufts University, in ensuing years.
From: Romi Elnagar <bluesapphire48@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 11:47 PM
Subject: [bangla-vision] US Nonviolence Centre Trained Egyptian Activists
To:
A few minutes ago, a friend sent me the following article, which I think is very exciting. However, when I checked it (as I always do) before forwarding it, I discovered that there are some concerns about the accuracy of statements in the article. There was a statement by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict in response to that article, which I have included.
Despite the concerns of the International Center, however, I still think it is valid and very important to emphasize, as the article does, that creating a movement for social justice takes a lot of careful planning, training of organizers, etc. etc. I know this happened in the American Civil Rights Movement, and I am glad to see that it is happening elsewhere.
Peace and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Hajja Romi/Blue
US non-violence centre trained Egypt activists
By Roula Khalaf in Cairo
Published: February 15 2011 10:08 | Last updated: February 15 2011 10:08
Some of Egypt and Tunisia's protest leaders learnt skills and planning methods from a US centre for non-violent resistance, giving them added assistance in the remarkable campaigns that toppled their long-time rulers.
Started by US businessman Peter Ackerman, the former Drexel Burnham Lambert investment banker who now heads Rockport capital, the International Centre on Nonviolent Conflict in Washington has been advocating civil disobedience methods to overthrow governments.
Dalia Ziada, an Egyptian blogger and human rights activist, said one of the groups that took part in Egypt's 18-day revolution – the April 6 movement – as well as two Tunisian youth leaders had been trained in non-violent strategies through workshops and information disseminated by the centre.
Ms Ziada, director for north Africa of the American Islamic Congress, a civil rights organisation, collaborated with the centre and held yearly workshops that helped translate online action into on-the-ground resistance.
At one point, her organisation brought two Serbian trainers to the Middle East who had been active in the student-led uprising that toppled Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. "The people (in Egypt and Tunisia) we trained were able to convey the tactics learnt. The access to this knowledge empowers people," said Ms Ziada.
The American Islamic Congress was also instrumental in distributing thousands of copies of an Arabic edition of a 50-year-old comic book on Martin Luther King, whose message of non-violent resistance inspired the civil rights movement in the US.
Mr Ackerman said he could not determine the impact on the Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings of the tactics he promoted. But he said the documentary based on his book, which outlined cases of successful non-violent resistance and the variables that made them succeed, had been shown all over Egypt.
"We don't give specific advice, we promote dialogue and remind people of the key things that lead to success," he told the Financial Times in a telephone interview.
According to Mr Ackerman, the three key elements that must prevail for a revolt to succeed are the unity of a movement; the planning, which requires anticipation of how the opponent will react at every turn of the resistance campaign; and the commitment to maintaining non-violent means throughout. A key aspect of the planning is to discover which elements of the regime are less loyal, and to work on shifting their support towards the protesters.
He said research showed that since the 1900s, violent insurrections had succeeded only 23 per cent of the time and rarely led to democracy, whereas 53 per cent of the 110 civil resistance movements had prevailed.
Mr Ackerman maintains that the element of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolts most highlighted in the media – the use of social networking sites to mobilise support – might be important as "logistical support" but "is far from critical". More significant is the broader strategy and the skills of those leading the uprisings.
Looking at Egypt's success versus the failure of Iran's "Green movement" after the 2009 presidential elections, he said that in spite of all the outrage expressed by Iran's opposition, it had failed to secure the defection of security forces.
Iran's rulers sent the loyal Islamic basij militia and the Republican Guard to suppress protesters demanding a rerun of the election that secured a second term for Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, the president – knowing that there was a risk that the traditional army could become sympathetic to the demonstrators.
But Mr Ackerman estimates that the Iranian army could still be persuaded to switch sides and points to the strikes over the past year in the bazaar as a sign of continued civil disobedience. "I remain optimistic about Iran," he said.
_____________
Response to: "US non-violence centre trained Egypt activists" by Roula Khalaf
Jack DuVall posted the following letter to the editor:
On February 15, 2011, the Financial Times carried an article entitled, "US non-violence centre trained Egypt activists." This article contained a false claim about the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) and left another erroneous impression about ICNC.
First, our Center has not advocated "civil disobedience methods to overthrow governments." The Center is an educational foundation that provides information about how civilian-based movements and campaigns over the past 100 years have used civil resistance to obtain human rights, achieve self-determination, resist military occupation, and dissolve oppression of all kinds. We have never taught anyone how "to overthrow governments."
Second, our Center did not collaborate on "yearly workshops" for Egyptians, or help "translate online action into on-the-ground resistance." We provided video and print materials for a seminar convened by another organization in Egypt in 2006 – as we do for dozens of conferences and seminars every year all over the world – and thereafter we supported and observed two regional workshops in Jordan that used knowledge and materials that we helped develop.
In the interest of full disclosure, our direct educational help to Egyptians was through a week-long seminar on nonviolent action hosted by the Ibn Khaldun Centre in Cairo in 2007, at the invitation of Dr. Saad Ibrahim, at which our staff and academic advisors spoke, and by welcoming eight Egyptians involved in education and democratic activism to participate in three of our annual Fletcher Summer Institutes for the Advanced Study of Nonviolent Conflict at Tufts University, in ensuing years.
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Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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