The Albert Einstein Institution NEWSLETTER Spring 2006 Waging Nonviolent Action We’ve Moved Around The World Greetings friends and supporters! Since our last newsletter, we’ve moved to a new office located conveniently in East Boston, just a stone’s throw away from Boston’s Logan The Middle East Airport. The new location has several advantages. Now, The Albert Einstein Institution Bethlehem and Jerusalem Trip Senior Scholar Gene Sharp has a short walk to work, shaving two hours each day off his commute. And, our monthly operating costs are significantly reduced – enabling From December 24 to December 31 Gene Sharp and Jamila Raqib us to shift a big portion of our expenditures away from were in Bethlehem, participating in an international conference on office rent to other, more important tasks. “Celebrating Nonviolent Resistance”, and in Jerusalem meeting with a variety of Israelis. The conference was sponsored by Nonviolence International, founded in 1989 with offices in Washington, DC and Our new mailing address is: elsewhere, and the Holy Land Trust, located in Bethlehem, and The Albert Einstein Institution founded in 1998. Israelis with whom we met included academics, P.O. Box 455 activists and leaders of NGOs, a Gaza settler leader, and police and military officials. East Boston, MA 02128 The trip was initiated with an invitation from Mubarak Awad to Gene Sharp to speak at the conference. Dr. Awad, a Palestinian- Our phone number, fax, email address, and website American, founded the Palestinian Center for the Study of Nonvio- information remain the same. They are: lence in 1983 in Jerusalem, and was jailed and deported in 1989. Phone: (617) 247-4882 The Israeli activities originated with contacts by Dr. Nahi Alon con- cerning academic work on nonviolent resistance. During the 1980s Fax: (617) 247-4035 Gene Sharp made several trips to the region and several of his publi- Email: [email protected] cations were published in both Arabic and Hebrew. Prior to the December trip he has not had recent involvement in the region. Website: www.aeinstein.org The conference was held in Bethlehem December 27-30. The aim of the conference was to allow Palestinian activists the opportunity to interact with each other and with international activists, to build on their past accomplishments, and make future efforts more effective. Inside this newsletter: The conference also served as a forum for activists, scholars, and experts in the field of nonviolence and nonviolent struggle to meet, Waging Nonviolent Action Around The World 1,6-7 exchange ideas and experiences, and plan for the future. Note from the Chair of the Board of Directors 2 The conference program included two pages of text written by Gene Sharp in 1989 during the first Palestinian Intifadah. The paper, The Senior Scholar Reflects on the Future of the AEI 3 “The Intifadah and Nonviolent Struggle” presented the characteris- Letter from the Executive Director 4 tics, operation, and requirements of this technique and will shortly be available for download from our website (www.aeinstein.org). Fundraising Update 5 During the four-day conference, there were 69 speakers and present- Jerusalem Meetings 8 ers, 59 workshops, 177 ex-patriots, 250 local Palestinians and 25 Israelis present. The conference was assisted by 30 volunteers and 30 Publications, Research and Translations 12 staff members. We observed that the range of Palestinians taking Other AEI Projects 14 (Continued on page 6) Note from the Chair of the Board of Directors Our entire board met on April 13, 2006 at grateful to supporters including the Fellow- hem and Jerusalem. our new office in East Boston to assess the ship of Reconciliation through this critical We look forward to working with her in growing impact of the Albert Einstein In- time. this new role. stitution’s mission. The political effective- Furthermore, the board is pleased to an- ness of pragmatic nonviolent action is Positive events around the globe affirm nounce our new Executive Director. Our our renewed commitment to our mission spreading to increasingly diverse struggles board voted unanimously to raise Jamila as this newsletter reflects. Strategic plan- this spring as this newsletter illustrates. Raqib’s title to Executive Director for her The board invites your support in our ning, informed by rigorous scholarship in exemplary service contributing to the work historical case studies, has proven its po- commitment toward building a responsi- and survival of the institution. Working ble future. tency in Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine. The closely with our Senior Scholar, her strate- critical need for practical alternatives to gic thinking played a pivotal role in the —Cornelia Sargent violence is evidenced by the growing inter- Institution’s survival through its most re- est in nonviolent struggle from diverse cent trials. groups and expanding media attention on these techniques. Over the past four years, amongst her other competencies are included editor, Recognizing the expanding demand for translations coordinator, international this knowledge and efforts to sustain this inquiries, special knowledge of central Asia work, the board voted to continue our and the Middle East, budgetary oversight, mission and abandon the contingency and assisting Gene Sharp on his December plans towards dissolution. We are indeed consultation and speaking trip to Bethle- Comings and Goings At our East Boston headquarters, Gene Sharp works closely with his long-time associate Jamila Raqib. AEI Mission Statement Two of our staff members have moved on to new challenges, including Hardy Merriman, Dr. Sharp’s research assistant, and Emilie Amstutz, AEI’s devel- As always, our mission at AEI is to advance the worldwide study opment officer. We wish both Hardy and Emilie the and strategic use of nonviolent action in conflict. The Institution very best in their new endeavors. is committed to: As well, last June AEI’s president Bob Helvey re- • defending democratic freedoms and institutions signed, while his book, On Strategic Nonviolent Con- • opposing oppression, dictatorship, and genocide, and flict, published by the Einstein Institution continues to arouse international interest and requests for • reducing reliance on violence as an instrument of policy. translations. Longtime AEI supporter Arthur Edelstein is now This mission is pursued in three ways, by: playing an active role maintaining the AEI website, • encouraging research and policy studies on the methods of and Barry Zellen – who first worked with Gene nonviolent action and their past use in diverse conflicts Sharp as his research assistant in 1984 – has re- turned after a two-decade absence working with in- • sharing the results of this research with the public through digenous people in the Arctic. He is now assisting publications, conferences, and the media, and Dr. Sharp and Jamila Raqib with various editorial • consulting with groups in conflict about the strategic poten- projects . Both are part-time volunteers. tial of nonviolent action. Page 2 The Albert Einstein Institution The Senior Scholar Reflects on the Future of the AEI The violence that at times seems to en- We also are learning that many people in This condition is at times one of confu- velop us at several levels can lead us to various parts of the world. of several relig- sion and dangers, but also of growing em- believe that these events are inevitable, ions, and despite arrogant rulers, can rec- powerment, freedom and justice, and re- beyond our control and influence. That is ognize their need to learn more about this duced violence. A future of domination, a grave error, and is not based on the full people power, and then can apply it with the rule of violence, and popular helpless- reality. greater skill and effectiveness. ness, need not be inevitable. True, the violence seems to be everywhere. This growing capacity of nonviolent strug- We know from observation and experi- But it is not. Something else very impor- gle never produces miracles, but it can ence that the work of this Institution can tant has also been happening. bring more successes. These successes help to bring positive changes. Over many centuries, and especially in need to be handled wisely, so that the Financially, this Institution is at the lowest recent decades, another type of struggle hard-won gains are not later stolen or for- point since its very first years. (It is now has not only been applied. It has often got after the immediate crisis has passed. 23 years old.) However, in terms of the been succeeding even though it usually has Dangers remain. Repressive governments impact of our work in the “real world”— been improvised by people who knew little are now often well aware of the threat to measured in terms of political impact in of its nature and requirements and who their domination that is posed by people various countries, geographical expansion, faced powerful violent regimes with few who want to be free and to use these eagerness of people and groups to learn redeeming humanitarian qualities and means to gain their freedom. Govern- more about nonviolent struggle, and the qualms. ments should, therefore, be more careful demand for translations to spread the These brave people usually had no guides in their responses, but fear rarely produces knowledge—the influence of the Albert as to how to wage their struggles. They wisdom. Instead, rulers can become more Einstein Institution has never been larger. had no understanding that careful strategic desperate and brutal. Sometimes auto- It can grow greatly. planning is required in order to know how cratic rulers admit their fear of this spread We are now aware that with good judg- to act, how to initiate their conflicts, how of knowledge and how people are becom- ment, humility, commitment to the Insti- to respond to repression, and how to build ing empowered, self-confident, and deter- tution’s Mission, and merited support, our their mobilized power so that it would mined.