The 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 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 ”, and in Jerusalem meeting with a variety of . The conference was sponsored by 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 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 , , . 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. greatest impact lies ahead. We thank all grow into irrepressible victories for greater The Mission of the Albert Einstein Institu- who have helped, and welcome your con- freedom and justice. tion (elsewhere in this newsletter) when tinued and new support to help build a They sometimes still won. implemented speaks to this condition. future of responsible hope. We are beginning to learn how these — Gene Sharp achievements have been possible, some- times despite the political blindness of Letter of Support from officials and the cruelty of governments that often have seemed unable to see the Several advocates of nonviolent action and you have generously shared your knowledge reality and capacity of this kind of power have left us during the past year, including and expertise with human rights movements that employs psychological, social, eco- the recent passing of Coretta Scott King and freedom struggles throughout the world. I nomic and political weapons. Many of on January 31, 2006. Less than a year ago, also want to thank you for the many times that these officials and regimes retain their she wrote a letter of support to the Ein- you have made vital contributions to The King irrational faith in the omnipotence of vio- stein Institution: Center’s Annual Summer Workshop on Non- lence and therefore drag their societies and August 11, 2005 violence. people into disasters. Dear Gene, I enclose my contribution to support the impor- tant work of the Albert Einstein Institution in We now know these disasters are not inevi- I write to commend you for your leadership in building nonviolent communities in our world. table. Case after case of successful strug- promoting nonviolence as a force for human gles in difficult cases, well beyond Gandhi liberation, social justice and peace. I wish you the greatest success in your continu- and King, show both that nonviolent ing endeavors. As a scholar and a writer, you have made in- struggles are realistic and that they can win delible contributions to the study of nonviolence Sincerely, in a violent world. through your many articles, lectures and books, Coretta Scott King

The Albert Einstein Institution Page 3 Letter from the Executive Director

As we approach the twenty-third year since positively and that we often do not have an article that mentioned the work of the the founding of the Albert Einstein Insti- the capacity to do more than refer indi- Institution that was printed in an opposi- tution there are indications that there is a viduals to the considerable amount of ma- tion paper in a capital city. Very soon after- breakthrough in increased recognition and terial available on our website, as well as wards some resourceful individuals had support for its work. Recently I entered a offer other kinds of general information. made numerous photocopies that were convenience store near my home. As I set This work merits the availability of fund- very widely distributed. What made the my Einstein Institution folder on the ing. Improved funding is crucial for story even more remarkable was that fol- counter in front of the cashier, I noticed strengthening our website, enabling new lowing the original printing, copies of the the man’s eyes light up with recognition as researchers and potential leaders of move- article were seen on a university campus in he read the writing on the folder. “We are ments to conduct and report their studies a rural town many miles away. Soon after, using the books in Eritrea”, he told me. or experiences with nonviolent action, and we noticed a disproportionate increase in Astonished, I asked him to explain. Even- for conducting research on new trends in the number of inquiries and hits on our tually I was able to learn that he was in the field. Analysis is also needed of how website from that country. touch with an Eritrean exile group that nonviolent struggle may relate to the prob- The developments that you will learn was studying the material that is available lems of terrorism and other uses of vio- about in this newsletter are even more on the Einstein Institution website, and lence for political objectives and for the notable when you consider that they have examining its relevance to the deteriorat- development of strategies to make nonvio- come at a time when the Institution has ing human rights situation and growing lent struggle more effective. These studies faced significant challenges. I am heart- government repression in Eritrea. The will be referenced and consulted by leaders ened by the global spread of this analysis incident, though quite accidental, high- of struggle movements and future con- and the impact that we are seeing evidence lights several important trends: the spread flicts. With increased funding, we also of already. With a small budget, we have of knowledge and increase in access to hope to resume prior overseas consulta- accomplished a great deal; with a larger information about nonviolent struggle, the tions, as well as increase our capacity to budget, we could accomplish so much wide applicability and relevance of our respond to requests from individuals and more. The coming months and years will work among often extremely diverse groups. If the Institution is developed in provide significant opportunities for the groups, and the growing awareness among these ways, it will make important contri- growth and expansion of the Albert Ein- many people of the need to examine this butions in the kind of world that we and stein Institution in its work to help people powerful means of struggle. As focus on future generations will experience. struggling for change against authoritarian strategic nonviolent struggle increases, it governments, occupation, and other forms will be clear that there is one institution Electronic and printed copies of transla- tions of our work in other languages are a of repression. Together we must face this that is best positioned to continue impor- great need and meet this challenge. tant work in this field into the future. powerful and effective means of dissemina- That is the Albert Einstein Institution. tion of the ideas. An Einstein Institution —Jamila Raqib contact once reported that he had written I continue to be amazed at the number of letters and messages we receive from indi- viduals and groups from locations as di- verse as the Congo and Canada and places as remote as the Maldives. The greatest evidence of the importance of our work comes from these very personal communi- Albert Einstein Institution Board of Directors cations. These letters are at times filled Cornelia Sargent, Chair with great discontent, but also incredible Elizabeth Defeis Curt Goering appreciation for our work and a hope for Mary E. King improvement in their own situations. Gene Sharp Often, the people who write to us have only recently been exposed to our work and their letters contain questions and requests for assistance. It is a great frustra- tion that we are not always able to respond

Page 4 The Albert Einstein Institution Fundraising Update

On September 9, 2005 the Fellowship of Reconciliation sent an appeal letter for the Albert Einstein Institution to its members, and to supporters of the peace movement. It is below:

If you support nonviolent action to promote freedom and democracy . . .

Help Save the Albert Einstein Institution

Gene Sharp is without doubt one of the most influential theorists and strategists in nonviolence since . Armed with a great intel- lect, dogged determination, a small staff, prolific pen and modest budget, he has provided millions of people around the world with the knowledge needed to achieve freedom and democracy through nonviolent action.

He is the scholar whose name is synonymous with "the politics of nonviolent action." His monographs, books and booklets, and those of his colleagues at the Albert Einstein Institution, have been translated into 30 languages. His work has contributed enormously to nonviolence movements and non- violent revolutions around the world -- in The Philippines, Burma, Palestine, Serbia, Georgia, the Ukraine, and , among others. Gene and the Albert Einstein Institution have had a profound impact on the teaching of nonviolence, as well as on events in the world's public squares. Our lives have been touched, enriched and shaped by Gene Sharp and the work of the Albert Einstein Institution. But we have just learned that the Institution faces an unsustainable financial shortfall and its board must seriously consider whether to close its doors.

The Albert Einstein Institution needs an immediate infusion of $150,000, a sum that seems daunting, absent the imaginative power of nonviolence. Yet this amount can be raised through 3,000 contributions of $50 from donors around the country, a goal that seems eminently achievable.

It is of vital interest to the Fellowship of Reconciliation that the work of Gene and the Albert Einstein Institution continue. Please send in a check today. And please circulate this appeal to others by e-mail or the postal service. The timeliness of this appeal cannot be stressed too strongly. As we have learned in our study and practice of nonviolence, we must be prepared and ready for that special moment in history. That moment is today. In gratitude to Gene and the Albert Einstein Institution ,

Mubarak Awad, President, Nonviolence International Tolekan Ismailova , Citizens Against Corruption Human Rights Cen- Elise Boulding, peace researcher, author, Cultures of Peace: The tre, Kyrgyzstan Hidden Side of History Randy Kehler , former national coordinator, Nuclear Weapons Freeze Carol Bragg , RI Committee for Nonviolence Initiatives Campaign Daniel L. Buttry , Global Service Consultant for Peace and Justice, Scott Kennedy , Resource Center for Nonviolence, Santa Cruz, CA International Ministries, American Baptist Churches Bernard LaFayette, Jr. , Director, Center for Nonviolence and Peace Janet Chisholm , Coordinator of Nonviolence Training, Fellowship of Studies, University of Rhode Island Reconciliation and Chair, Episcopal Peace Fellowship George Lakey , Director, Training for Change Pat Clark , Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation The Rev. Jim Lawson , civil rights leader and former director of Non- Dorothy F. Cotton , Director of Education, Southern Christian Leader- violence Education at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference ship Conference, under Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Michael Nagler , professor emeritus and founder of Peace and Conflict Richard Deats , editor emeritus, Fellowship magazine Studies Program, UC-Berkeley Marjorie Swann Edwin , activist in nonviolence movement for 68 Mary Lord , Assistant General Secretary for Peace and Conflict Resolu- years tion, American Friends Service Committee Diana Francis , former President, International Fellowship of Recon- David McReynolds , former Chair, War Resisters International ciliation Hans Sinn , founding member, Peace Brigades International Arun Gandhi , president M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, Mem- Michael True , Executive Committee, International Peace Research phis, TN Association Foundation David Hartsough , co-founder, Nonviolent Peaceforce Rabbi Arthur Waskow , Director, The Shalom Center , historian Robert A. Irwin , author, Building a Peace System

The Albert Einstein Institution Page 5 Fundraising Update

This past fall, we engaged in a If you’ve not yet had a chance to The Albert Einstein Institution has been operating for 22 years, successful fundraising appeal, give, you may easily do so on our and during these years we have made major contributions to both including an appeal sent out by website at the analysis and practice of strategic nonviolent struggle—helping the Fellowship of Reconciliation to promote, preserve and empower movements around the world http://www.aeinstein.org/ – raising $37,511.90 from 176 committed to a more free, just, and less violent society. supporters, whose donations or you may send a check to our ranged in size from $10 to These substantive contributions continue—particularly through our mailing address. Donations to the $5,000 – proof that together, we ongoing translation program, making our work available in more Einstein Institution are tax- can make a difference. Also, a than thirty-five languages, with sixteen more in our pipeline. deductible, and will enable us to continue our important work – Massachusetts foundation has It’s now been over a year since we asked you to participate in this including completion of Gene pledged $50,000. work by contributing financial support—but now, we once again Sharp’s dictionary of nonviolent need your help. As our appeal letter stated: action and related fields.

Waging Nonviolent Action Around The World

(Continued from page 1) they were detained and deported upon icy, and as the prerequisite to the end of arrival to . meeting Palestinian needs. part in the conference was representative of the Palestinian population and included The content of the speeches varied consid- Dr. Mustapha Barghouti, a candidate for female participants and individuals from erably. Various speakers strongly empha- the presidency of the Palestinian Authority various factions, and with diverse views sized nonviolent struggle including the in 2005, advocated concentrated efforts to and backgrounds. Mayor of Bethlehem Dr. Victor Batarseh make nonviolent struggle effective and at the opening banquet and the Bethle- charged that Israel had pushed the Pales- Some persons from other countries who hem governor, Mr. Salah Ta’mari. On tinians to become militarized as that would attempted to attend were unable to do so December 28, during the session titled benefit the Israelis. because either Israeli visas were denied, or “Palestinian Nonviolent Movement,” The morning of the third day Gene Sharp chaired by Jonathan Kuttab, Palestinian gave a strong presentation on the nature speeches very strongly advocated nonvio- and potential of nonviolent struggle that lent struggle and opposed violent means. was received with a standing ovation. The One of the outstanding presentations was text and video of that talk will soon be by Ms. Hind Khoury, who was then Minis- available on the Einstein Institution web- ter of State for Jerusalem Affairs of the site. Other sessions of the conference fo- Palestinian Authority. She focused heavily cused on other aspects of peace-making, on what Palestinians themselves could do nonviolent action, and Muslim and Chris- to secure their objectives. She urged that tian views on conflict and nonviolent the Palestinian Authority should focus on means, as well as the views of Hinduism, nonviolent struggle as a strategy and pol- Judaism, Buddhism, and Tibetan Bud- dhism. Mohammad Abu-Nimer, a professor in the International Peace and Conflict Resolu- tion Program at American University gave A poster featuring the Arabic translation of 198 Methods of Nonviolent Ac- a presentation on Islam and nonviolent tion appended to From Dictatorship to Democracy was observed in several action. The talk addressed themes includ- locations in Bethlehem. The poster was produced by Middle East Nonviolence ing the historical development of an Is- and Democracy (www.mend-pal.org), located in Jerusalem. (Continued on page 7)

Page 6 The Albert Einstein Institution Waging Nonviolent Action Around The World

(Continued from page 6) mittee member responsible for preparing lamic “just war” theory and argued that a report based on the committee’s find- the conditions under which it is per- ings and assisted the administrators of missible for Muslims to wage violent the conference. Dr. Peter Bourne, Dr. conflict are so narrow that it is impossi- Bishara Awad, and Jamila Raqib pre- ble to find justification for suicide sented a summary of the report to partici- bombings or other forms of excessive pants before the conference adjourn- use of violence in Islamic teachings. ment. He also stressed the compatibility of The Holy Land Trust is preparing for sale nonviolent resistance and Islam and stated that in fact the qualities of disci- a DVD of the full conference proceedings pline and patience were central to both (except the workshops). Enquiries should Islam and nonviolent resistance. be directed to Nonviolence International (www.nonviolenceinternational.net) and Professor, AEI Board member, and former AEI A “Gene Sharp award” was presented the Holy Land Trust Fellow Dr. Mary King reviews Gene Sharp’s to Luis Botero of Colombia for his (www.holylandtrust.org). work for peaceful means and to contribution to the field. “Martyrs of Nonviolent Resistance

Against the Wall.” Prior to that presentation, Einstein Institution Board member Dr. Mary King provided the audience with an overview of many of Gene Sharp’s achievements in the field. A planning committee of partici- pants in the conference met sev- eral times to evaluate the confer- ence and to make recommenda- Gene Sharp speaks on the nature and potential tions for a possible future confer- Jamila Raqib and Dr. Peter Bourne present the of nonviolent struggle. Photo credit: D. Lynch report of the planning committee. Photo credit: D. ence. Jamila Raqib was the com- Lynch

Meeting with Israeli Organizations and Civil Society Groups

On December 26, 2005, Gene Sharp and for Israelis to bring to life the struggles of Jamila Raqib met with staff from the Is- its residents, and The Fifth Mother, a peace raeli organization Shatil and participated organization trying to illustrate the conse- in the concluding session of the Shatil- quences of the current positioning of the Strategies for Non- organized seminar controversial separation wall. Violent Struggle . The primary goal of the conference was to bring together organi- Participant feedback was overwhelmingly zations who are working toward finding a positive, and the group plans to meet every few weeks to examine case studies fair and just agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Eighteen and techniques for nonviolent social organizations were represented including change, thereby enriching the activities of Machsom Watch (Check-point Watch), Physi- participating organizations and sharing in The Hebrew translation of There Are Realis- cians for Human Rights , Bnai Avram (Sons of goals and plans for activities. tic Alternatives was prepared by Shatil. Abraham) which provides tours to Hebron

The Albert Einstein Institution Page 7 Jerusalem Meetings

Meetings with key individuals involved text. Through the systematic research pre- In addition to preventing the Gaza evacua- with Gaza withdrawal sented in the book, they show that the tion, the settlers wanted to ensure that The series of meetings that the Albert Ein- adoption of this approach results in a there would be no future withdrawals from stein Institution participated in were or- sharp decrease in both parental and child Israeli occupied territories in the West ganized and coordinated by Dr. Nahi Alon violence. Bank. and staff from the Israeli organization In the year prior to the Gaza withdrawal Although the avoidance of the use of vio- Shatil. Shatil, part of the New Israel in which 21 settlements and approximately lence by the settlers was motivated primar- Fund, is committed to strengthening civil 8,500 settlers were evacuated from the ily by a desire to not use violence against society within Israel, among Israel’s Arab , Omer and Alon conducted fellow Jews, also prevalent was a strong citizens, and in regards to the Palestinian extensive sessions with both the settlers belief that, through government, popular, Territories. As part of this mission, Shatil and their supporters, and the Israeli De- or divine intervention, the settlements counsels other social change organizations. fense Forces and police with funding from would be preserved and they would even- Dr. Alon, a clinical the New Israel Fund and Shatil. A deci- tually be saved before the implementation psychologist and his sion was made to isolate talks with each of the withdrawal. During the talks, the colleague Dr. Haim group, and Dr. Alon met primarily with settler leaders showed a clear willingness to Omer, professor of the settler groups and others who opposed explore the potential of nonviolent action psychology at Tel the withdrawal, while Dr. Omer focused in resisting the government’s plan, and Aviv University, are on members of the military and police, already had significant knowledge of other experts in “conflict including both high-ranking representa- nonviolent struggle movements, including management” and tives as well as field officers. In an intro- the American civil rights movement. are the authors of a ductory correspondence with the Albert The military and police responsible for the recently published Einstein Institution, Dr. Omer and Dr. implementation of the evacuation of the Alon stated the following: book titled The Psy- settlements sought to prevent an escalation chology of Demonization: Promoting Accep- “Recently, we have become engaged in attempts of the conflict that was likely to result from tance and Reducing Conflict (Lawrence Erl- to form a coalition of non-violent activists to the use of violence by either the settlers, or baum Associates, Publishers, 2006) . The present alternatives to present normative atti- the military and police. Dr. Alon stated book discusses the concept of tudes in Israeli society. Living in a violence that this was “a major concession by the “demonization”, the projection of negative stricken region, it is crucial for us to be able to state authority, which has the power even and destructive qualities onto others, and present such alternatives to various sectors of to be brutal.” The military also regarded its detrimental psychological impact on Israeli society. We would like to be in contact the potential of mass refusal to serve by relationships, and personal and family with the Albert Einstein Institution, both to the soldiers and police as dangerous to the conflicts. draw inspiration and knowledge from your success of the mission and wanted to en- work, and also to share our experience and sure that soldiers and police would obey Dr. Omer also authored an earlier book contributions. In this area, we would like to orders, even if they disagreed with the mis- called Non-violent Resistance: Coaching for underline, that our contributions to non-violent sion. Parents of Violent and Self-destructive Children action in the intimate family field are probably (Cambridge University Press, 2004) that Brigadier General Gershon Hacohen, the a new addition to the field.” presents an adaptation of the strategies of Israeli Defense Forces general who headed nonviolent action (especially as systema- Both the settler groups, and the military the military component of the Gaza with- tized by Gene Sharp) to the family situa- and police, aimed to influence the events drawal and evacuation of 21 settlements tion. His additional work includes re- leading to and execution of the govern- and approximately 8,500 settlers, stated search on the use of non-violent resistance ment’s withdrawal plan. The settlers and that “there was a real danger of a violent in the treatment of battered women and in others who opposed the withdrawal rebellion and bloodshed in Gush Katif (a countering school violence. worked to build grassroots support for bloc of Israeli settlements in the Gaza their cause and called for disobedience to Strip). What helped avoid violence was In their new book, originally published in the withdrawal by both members of their the way we operated with a large force, and Hebrew and which includes a forward by own communities, as well as the police the unique method of operation that we the Dalai Lama, both Dr. Omer and Dr. and military, in order to prevent their developed for this sensitive context. There Alon back the approach presented by evacuation from the settlements in Gaza. Gene Sharp as applied to the family con-

Page 8 The Albert Einstein Institution Jerusalem Meetings was an event here that had the potential • Mental preparation of the Israeli po- of Israeli police].” He added, “we have for developing into a civil war.” lice force for the mission is an integral always tried to convince the army that vari- The motto that the Israeli military coined part of the planning process. ous approaches should be explored.” for the operation, which required careful • Special focus on police with varying After the withdrawal, in a 16 September operational planning and emotional prepa- degrees of experience with missions in 2005 interview with , the Israeli ration, was “sensitivity and determina- the Palestinian territories and who daily, General Hacohen was asked whether tion”. The thinking among the military may even so be deployed, increasing a similar operation could be repeated in was that, as General Hacohen stated, the the chance of errors. future withdrawals from West Bank settle- settlers were regarded as “not criminals ments. He replied: “in political logic, yes. Mental readiness of the police involved that you confront on a routine mission”. In systematic logic, no. An understanding consideration of three areas of psychologi- In response to calls by leaders to soldiers of the nature of the campaign says that cal preparation: to refuse to serve and carry out orders to everything is unique to the context at participate in the evacuation, the army • Providing of knowledge, information hand. A different context will demand a made efforts to counter any mass refusal about orders, procedures, etc. different construct. Therefore anyone by soldiers, including identifying units • Consciousness-- coping with dilemmas who moves this operation to another place with increased potential for disobedience and challenges. will fail.” and allowing them less direct contact with When asked whether there was a wider evacuees. • Shaping of behavior--skills and guide- lines for resolving dilemmas. relevance to the thinking that was applied The completely unprecedented planning to the Gaza withdrawal in the Israeli- on the part of the military and police in Effective solutions were prescribed in re- Palestinian conflict, Dr. Omer stated that developing the withdrawal plan was out- sponse to anticipated challenges, including the initiative must be a Palestinian one, lined to us by representatives of both provocation from demonstrators, issues and that Israelis could not advise Palestini- groups. dealing with women and children, demon- ans on an approach, nor could Israelis take strators who physically injure fellow police, up a struggle on their behalf. However, he Raffi Lev, Head of the Behavioral Sciences escalation, loss of control and riots, police Department of the Israeli Police, and a added, “our aspiration is that lessons on fear for personal safety, and a clash of be- non-violence will ultimately be dissemi- colleague presented a summary of the ac- liefs and values. tivity of the Israeli police force’s Informa- nated in wider circles. It’s like a farmer tion and Behavior Department concerning From the perspective of the Israeli Defense who plants seeds. If the IDF (Israeli De- the application of its disengagement plan. Forces and Police, the evacuation was exe- fense Forces) starts to think in terms of cuted successfully. The army’s superb plan- non-violent struggles, the same idea could The assumptions on which the planning of ning and preparation contributed to the work in dealings with the Palestinians.” the police was based as outlined to us were efficient and mostly nonviolent (one Pales- as follows: Dr. Omer and Dr. Alon also recently re- tinian was killed by a West Bank settler ported that they will shortly develop a uni- • The Israeli Police force will be at the who opened fire on a bus) implementation versity graduate course on 'constructive center of a complex conflict and will of the withdrawal. Polls indicated over- fighting' and have reached an agreement be responsible for the execution of a whelming public approval of the perform- with the Center to establish sensitive mission. ance of the security forces, even among another educational program for senior those who opposed the disengagement. • The implementation of the with- officials and commanders in the Israeli drawal will be the focus of significant The question remains: was this situation Defense Forces. media attention. unique or are there lessons that can be applied in another context. We asked • The implementation of the with- Raffi Lev this question. He replied that drawal requires the deployment of a the knowledge of public demonstrations large military and police forces and was internal, and that he and his col- close organizational and administra- leagues “learned from the problematic tive cooperation between the forces. response to the October 2000 riots [in which 13 Israeli-Arab citizens were killed by the severe and disproportional response

The Albert Einstein Institution Page 9 The Albert Einstein Institution Meets With Rabbi Pinchas Wallerstein

During the Einstein Institution’s trip to the Middle East, Gene that the sentiment common among both the settler movement and Sharp and Jamila Raqib met with Rabbi Pinchas Wallerstein, a the Israeli public is that they belong to groups that must co-exist, prominent settler leader, head of Binyamim Regional Council in and would therefore prefer to avoid the use of violence. Also, Samaria, and former leader of the Yesha Settlers’ Council, an their involvement in Israeli life and society, including the army, umbrella group representing residents of settlements in the presents a major deterrence to violent confrontation. When asked West Bank and Gaza Strip. Wallerstein played a key role in about the potential use of nonviolent struggle to protest or stop advocating nonviolent action against Israel and its army to op- future withdrawal from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian terri- pose the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as possible future tories, Rabi Wallerstein answered that the youth will likely become evacuations of settlers from the occupied territories. more extreme than they were during the Gaza disengagement, Gene Sharp asked Rabbi Wallserstein why the settlers decided which may include an increased willingness to use violence to use nonviolent action to conduct their struggle. He explained

Latvia Celebrates 15 Years of Freedom

In March 2005, Latvia celebrated its 15 th anniversary since its The Baltic Way to Freedom is the translation of Baltijas br īvības ce ļš , independence from Soviet occupation on August 21, 1991. Gene which was published in May 2005 in Latvian, by the publishing Sharp was invited to deliver a house Zelta Grauds. The three-year period covered in the book speech for that occasion and includes the 1988 formation of the Latvian People’s Front participate in the ceremony in (Latvijas Tautas Fronte) as well as the August 1991 events that led Latvia, where his ideas, and in to the breakup of the . Copies of the book will be particular his book Civilian-Based presented to embassies in Latvia as well as to the national libraries Defense: A Post Military Weapons of their home countries. A Russian version of the book is to be System (1990), helped to end the published next year. long Soviet dominion over Lat- Gene Sharp last visited Latvia in May 1995, with then Einstein via. He was also asked to write a Institution Board Chair Elizabeth Defeis and former AEI Execu- chapter in a book The Baltic Way tive Director Bruce Jenkins. The purpose of the trip was to par- to Freedom , that examines the ticipate in a conference titled “From Nonviolent Liberation to Baltic republics' path to freedom Tolerance: The Development of Civil Society in Eastern Central from1988-1991. The English Europe”. During the trip, they also met with senior Baltic offi- edition of the book was released cials in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. on December 8, 2005.

Venezuela Burma

In March 2005, the Albert Einstein Institution hosted a strategy workshop for Vene- Recently in Burma, several people were zuelan nonviolent activists. The workshop was held in Boston. The sessions included sentenced to seven years of imprisonment such topics as consensual vision of tomorrow, review of monolithic and pluralistic each by the military dictatorship for the models of power, sources of power, managing a nonviolent movement and comple- mere possession of the banned translation tion of a strategic estimate using a strategic estimate workbook. Assisting in the work- of From Dictatorship to Democracy . The shop were two former leaders in the Serbian nonviolent struggle group original Burmese edition was published in (Resistance), Slobodan Dinovic and Ivan Marovic. Funding for the workshop was 1993, and appears to be still circulating. provided by the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict.

Page 10 The Albert Einstein Institution Eritrea

The Eritrean Movement for Democracy and Human Rights EMDHR states on their blog (http://emdhr.civiblog.org/blog): (EMDHR) is a nonprofit organization founded by Eritrean stu- “The manual intends to empower the Eritrean people to over- dents and exiles in South Africa. The group promotes nonvio- come their fear and habit of obedience in such a way that they lent action among Eritreans, and has been developing a manual would be able to protest non-violently and effectively against vio- on nonviolent struggle that draws heavily on Gene Sharp’s writ- lations of human rights by a government or any group.” ings, and that has been translated into their local language, Ti- grigna. The booklet is similar to one produced by Serbian activ- The group has also posted a report concerning recent workshops ists who later became OTPOR (Resistance), the group responsible that it conducted in four South African cities on February 4-5, for leading the struggle to overthrow Slobodan Milosevic. It is 2006 on its blog. EMDHR plans on acknowledging the role of planned that the booklet will be distributed among Eritreans re- the Albert Einstein Institution publications in the preface of their siding in South Africa and abroad. manual.

AEI in the News U.S. Press French Press • War by Other Means Boston Globe, May 29, 2005. • Dan l’ombre des « Revolutions Spontanees » [translation from • Opposition Exiles Train in “Non-Violent” Tactics French : In the Shadow of « Spontanious Revolutions »] The Financial Times, June 16, 2005. National Monthly Le Monde Diplomatique, January 2005. • Nonviolence: A Powerful Force • In the Backstage of “Velvet Revolutions” [original title unavaila- ble] Laconia Daily Sun article, February 20, 2006. National daily newspaper “Le Monde” October 16-17, 2005. • Russia: Radicalized Youth on the Rise • Soft Revolutions [translation of “Revolutons Douces”] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, April 14, 2005 National Weekly “L'Express” January 31, 2005. http://www.rferl.org/ • After Belgrade and Tbilissi, Kiev [translation of Kiev, après Bel- The Velveteen Revolution • grade et Tbilissi]

Harper’s Magazine, May 2005. National Weekly “Le Point”, November 2005. • Movies and Video Games Against Tyranny [ translation of Des Films et Des Jeux Contre La Tyrannie] The article The Velveteen Revolution in Harper’s National Weekly Courrier International (article translated from Magazine lists a number of the methods of nonviolent The New Yorker ) août 5, 2005. action and states that the selected methods are “from a • Moldova: “Orange Revolution” Won’t Pass Here [ translation of list of 198 methods of nonviolent protest appended to Moldavie: la “Revolution Orange” ne Passera Pas Par La] From Dictatorship to Democracy , a manual by Gene European online student news “Café Babel” April 2005. Sharp, a political scientist at the Albert Einstein • Azerbaijan Dreams of an Orange Revolution [ translation of Institution in Boston. By March 2005, when the L’Azerbaïdjan Reve de Revolution Orange] government was overthrown, NGOs had distributed National daily newspaper “Libération” November 5, 2005. 5,000 copies to the citizens of Kyrgyzstan.”

The Albert Einstein Institution Page 11 Publications, Research and Translations

International demand for our work contin- An individual whose website features the ship to Democracy ues to grow, with a number of translations translated booklet recently reported the The organization Moscow: Free Choice completed and released, and several others following: published From Dictatorship to Democracy in in the pipeline. By making available “The authorities de- Russian in June 2005. knowledge of the nature of nonviolent cided to censor this The book’s first print run was 1,500 copies struggle, its requirements, and its strategic book so no one could – and more will likely be printed in the principles, people facing or anticipating print it. I've uploaded coming months, and was distributed by acute conflicts can then evaluate this op- a PDF copy to our the Moscow: Free Choice and OBO- tion and make a choice to use these NGO’s site and more RONA movements, as well as by the pub- means, to capitulate, or to use violence. If than 10,000 copies of lisher (Novoe Izdatelstvo) through book they choose nonviolent struggle, they will it [are] being shops. be better able to formulate and wield a download[ed]. Wish wise strategy, increasing the chances of to see the effect someday…” Governments that are dictatorial do not their success. welcome the availability of literature on

That our publications are deemed relevant nonviolent action. Accordingly, in Mos- to those seeking nonviolent political Literature for Chinese Activists cow during a raid by the FSB (successor to change in such diverse social environments In March 2005, the Chinese translation of the KGB) on a print shop printing the reflects the quality our work in research, From Dictatorship to Democracy was com- fifth translation of the banned Russian publications, translations. pleted and made available on our website edition of From Dictatorship to Democracy , a FSB agent described the booklet as “a for download. bomb”. As reported on Jun 14, 2005: Khmer translation of From Dictatorship In the new Chinese edition of Breaking the “While the publication was being printed to Democracy Real Axis of Evil, by Mark Palmer, at one of the state printing houses, an FSB In late 2005, Ung Bun-Ang, a former the author refers (Federal Security Service, successor of the Cambodian sena- to the Chinese KGB) officer visited the printing house, tor and an official translation of examined the book and demanded that of the opposition From Dictatorship the printing should be stopped immedi- Sam Rainsy Party, to Democracy as a ately. ‘This is a bomb’, he said referring to translated "From useful tool for the book. However, the publisher man- Dictatorship to Chinese activists aged to find another (private) printing Democracy" to and mentions house outside Moscow where we faced no Khmer. A print run that it is available problems. of 12,000 copies from the Einstein Institution website. “There has been no official reaction on the was initiated in book, nor do we know of any pressure on December and the An AEI contact who closely follows the the publisher of the shops that were selling book is being sold for a nominal price in pro-democracy movement in China re- the translation. However, an alarming Phnom Penh. ported the following: coincidence took place soon after the pres- “The Chinese democracy forces still entation of the book on June 14 [2005]. lack coordination and leadership in Two book shops, which were the main Farsi Translation of From Dictatorship to their efforts. Against a ferocious authori- Democracy partners of the publisher and have been tarian regime, they seem weak and frac- selling most of the FDTD [From Dictator- The Farsi translation of From Dictatorship to tionalized. These two books (Chinese ship to Democracy] copies, burned one Democracy was released in January 2004 editions of From Dictatorship to Democracy after another. and placed on the Einstein Institution and Breaking the Real Axis of Evil) will help “Bilingua, which was both a well-known website for download. The translation was the Chinese activists in strengthening their book shop and a cafe, went on fire on July also subsequently featured on several Ira- resolve, realizing the importance of having 9 [2005] night. According to officials, a nian pro-democracy websites and blogs. a unified agenda and leadership, and pro- short circuit caused the fire, which de- Since then, this edition of From Dictator- vide valuable experience from others who stroyed the shop with all the books. ship to Democracy remains one of our most have gone before them in their struggle for popular downloads, and is accessed on democracy.” “Falanster, another book shop selling average 200-300 times monthly. Russian Translation of From Dictator- mostly "unofficial" and opposition litera-

Page 12 The Albert Einstein Institution Publications, Research and Translations ture, was set on fire by unknown people on July 22 [2005] night. A grenade or a Molotov's cocktail has been thrown into the shop's win- Additional Translations of Einstein Institution Material dow causing an explosion and a fire. All of the books that were on The following addition translations have been completed the shelves at the moment were damaged. A half-burned copy of and released (or will shortly be released). FDTD [From Dictatorship to Democracy] from Falanster lies on my book shelf now”. • Belarusian translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy • Dhivehi (Maldives) translation of From Dictatorship to You may view an electronic copy of the book at www.msv.org.ru/ Democracy fdtd.pdf , and the cover image at www.kozlovsky.ru/sharp-cover- • Chinese translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy small.gif . • French translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy • Hebrew translation of There Are Realistic Alternatives • Kyrgyz translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy • Nepali translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy • Russian translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy • Tibetan translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy • Tigrigna (Eritrea) translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy • Uzbek translation of From Dictatorship to Democracy

Nearly all of these translations are available on our website (www.aeinstein.org) for free download.

Bilingua burning

Recent Book by Former Einstein Fellow Kurt Schock

Unarmed Insurrections: People Power Move- Schock analyses “people’s power” movements in six countries, ments in Nondemocracies. By Kurt Schock. South Africa, Philippines, Burma, China, Nepal and Thailand, (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota though he states that there were 31 predominantly nonviolent Press, 2004. Pp. 224. $59.95 cloth, rebellions in the Second and Third Worlds from 1978 to 2001, $19.95 paper.) starting with the Iranian revolution of 1978-79. In 23 of those revolts, the result was regime change. In his 2004 book, Rutgers sociologist and former Albert Einstein Institution Fellow Though his research shows that with the exception of very few, Kurt Schock explores the dynamics of these nonviolent struggles have been largely improvised, Schock nonviolent struggle and maintains that emphasizes the importance of both structure and strategy in a the struggles of social movements in the social change movement. Also important is his assertion that global south in recent decades have nonviolent struggle is a pragmatic choice, and not defined merely shifted from the predominant use of violence to nonviolent meth- by a principled rejection of violence. ods as a means of resistance to governments.

The Albert Einstein Institution Page 13 Other AEI Projects

Also in production are the following book projects: Reviews of new book by Gene Sharp • Harvard International Review • Power, Conflict, and Alternatives: A Technical Dictionary , The Summer 2005 edition of the Harvard International Review pre- in final preparation by Gene Sharp, aims to resolve the terminological problems of nonviolent alternatives and sents a review of Waging Nonviolent Struggle : 20th Century Practice and tangential phenomena. It includes terms associated with 21st Century Potential by Jeremy Jones. (Summer 2005, vol. XXVII, nonviolent struggle as well as terms from violent conflict, no. 2) oppression, dictatorship, principled nonviolence, political • Journal of Military and Strategic Studies (Canada) violence, repression, strategy, and other relevant concepts The Fall 2005 issue of the journal featured a review of Waging Non- in political theory and sociological analysis. The current violent Struggle , by James Keeley. (Fall 2005, Vol. 8, Issue 1) draft contains over 600 terms, and is based on several dec- ades of studies. Completion is expected in October 2006. Other reviews have appeared in publications including Midwest Book Review, Peaceworker , Nonviolence, Peace Magazine, • Short booklet: Power The Nonviolent Activist, ecapc.org (Every Church a Peace Church), • Short booklet: Principled Nonviolence: Types and Issues and Peacework Magazine. Links to the full texts of these reviews can be found on the website for the book, www.wagingnonviolentstruggle.com.

AEI Speaking Engagements Miscellaneous

Harvard Program on Negotiation Gene Sharp was interviewed for a new short film on Gandhi titled The On October 25, 2005, Dr. Sharp participated in an Legacy of the Mahatma. “informal dialogue” at Harvard Law School with negotia- In November, we were notified by Porter Sargent Publishers that they tion expert Dr. William Ury. The talk was titled “The had just completed the eighth printing of The Methods of Nonviolent Intersection of Negotiation and Nonviolent Action: A Action, Part Two of Gene Sharp’s 1973 three volume The Politics of Conversation with Dr. Gene Sharp and Dr. William Nonviolent Action. The Methods of Nonviolent Action is a detailed exami- Ury,” and was moderated by Dr. Susan Hackley, manag- nation of 198 specific methods of the technique — illustrated with ing director of the Program on Negotiation. actual cases — within the broad classes of nonviolent protest and per- The forum focused on the strengths and challenges of suasion, non-cooperation (social, economic and political) and nonvio- both approaches to conflict, as well as the contradictions lent intervention. and connections between them. The forum began with introductory remarks by Dr. Sharp and Dr. Ury and in- Aketarak, a musical group from New York City recently built a song cluded time for a broader discussion with the audience. around a 1983 lecture given by Gene Sharp at Whittier College in A webcast of the event can be viewed on the Harvard Whittier, CA. The song “ After Mathematics” can be heard on their Program on Negotiation website www.pon.harvard.edu. website at www.aketarak.com/music

United Nations Association of Greater Boston On December 1, 2005, the United Nations Association of Greater Boston hosted a discussion titled “Should A Word of Thanks Force be used to Protect Human Rights”. The discussion was part of their The People Speak forum , which seeks to We wish to extend a special thanks to the Board of Directors of the promote citizen dialogue about issues of global impor- Albert Einstein Institution, and to all of AEI’s supporters, the staff tance. The panel also included Larry Finklestein, and and members of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, in particular was moderated by Ambassador Charles Dunbar. Carol Bragg, Janet Chisholm, and Pat Clark, and to the volunteers who helped produce this newsletter, including Arthur Edelstein, John Thuneby, and Barry Zellen, and to Damon Lynch whose pho- tographs are featured in this newsletter.