Outline of a Successful Presentation on Civilian-Based Defense

IntroductionHaving met much of the audience at the potluck dinner before my presentation,and since the attendees all knew each other, I did not take time for generalintroductions. After a few preliminaries, I asked the group "what isnonviolent CBD?" Their responses revealed that only a few had a clear idea ofwhat CBD is.

Two Case HistoriesLeaving aside the niceties of CBD vs. social defense, etc. I presented twocase histories, making the following points about them:

Czechoslovakia, 1968

Czech collaboration with the Soviet invasion was prevented by mass supportfor the resistance. The Czech Communist Party was nearly unanimous inresisting the invasion. Clandestine radio networks evolved from preparationspreviously made for war with the west.

When these got word that the Soviets were going to arrest party delegates,the meeting place was changed and the changes passed along. When they gotword that arrests of journalists and activists were planned, people took downhouse numbers and street signs, which was very confusing to the invaders.When police got hold of the license numbers of cars the Soviets were usingfor arrests, these were broadcast so the cars could be easily spotted. Peoplewatched for the cars and wrote the numbers on posters and walls. When carswere spotted, they were surrounded and the prisoners released. Within a day,more than twenty freedom newspapers appeared, all supporting A. Dubcek andthe legitimate Czech government. All measures of resistance short of violencewere urged. These papers may have reached as many as 400,000 people. Nopro-Soviet newspapers were circulated. When some were air-dropped from ahelicopter, they were immediately seized and burned. Distribution of paperswas carried out right in front of Soviet soldiers. If they tried tointerfere, crowds closed in around them and made way for the distributors toget away. More sophisticated Soviet efforts to interfere with distributionled the resistance to initiate distribution from police cars and ambulances.Resistance efforts were headquartered in the industrial district.

Without street and other signs, the Soviets couldn't find their way. Spaceto hold large meetings was available. Materials could be readily hidden inhuge factories and warehouses.

Party delegates were not distinguishable from the tens of thousands ofworkers. Soviet morale was undermined.

At first people came out and dialoged with soldiers until they (the soldiers)couldn't stand it anymore. Later, people cold-shouldered the soldiers, eventurning their backs when their cars were in the street. Soldiers had beentold they were being sent to quell a counter-revolution. What they saw waspeople courageously going about their business, no violence and no evidenceof subversion. Many foresaw the likelihood that their resistance wouldcollapse just as it did, through a process of compromise and broken promises.

Moscow, 1991

In August 1991 thousands of tanks occupied Moscow to undermine the fledglingdemocracy.

People surrounded tanks and greeted crews with cakes, cigarettes, roses,dialog, questions, especially pointed questions like "Who are you going toshoot?" People asked soldiers not to kill their relatives.

Many people took up positions at barricades, which were made of anythinghandy, even though they thought it likely they would be killed. Demonstratorslinked arms and created a human barricade to prevent soldiers fromapproaching the Russian White House. This came to be known as the "LivingRing." Women at the barricades constantly urged nonviolence and fearlessness.

The official policy was: no violence.

The head of the KGB said military force could clear away the resistance inthirty minutes, but when crack KGB soldiers learned they would have to killhundreds or thousands of nonviolent civilians to fulfil their mission, theyrefused orders to carry out the attack. Some newspapers refused to cover thenews as instructed. Others carried blank spaces where material had beencensored. An underground paper came out on photocopiers and mimeo machines.These were posted on street corners and bus stops. People gathered to readthem and discuss the situation.

Curfews were ignored. Public transportation ran despite them. Word of mouthwas so effective that a gathering of 400,000 people was convened intwenty-four hours at the suggestion of the mayor, although he had no accessto mass media. Although the coup leaders supposedly controlled a fourmillion-person army, thousands of tanks and many other weapons, includingnukes, the coup foundered and collapsed.

What Conditions Does CBD Require?

Having told these two stories of spontaneous nonviolent defense, I asked thegroup to brainstorm a list of factors that made them effective. I wasespecially looking for the following points, most of which were mentioned andrecorded on newsprint. Other points were also mentioned, of course, and theseprovided worthwhile discussion material.

* The opponent has to be recognizable.

* Citizens must consider their society worth defending.

* Citizens must support their leaders.

* The defenders must undermine the opposition's morale.

What Are the Tactics of CBD?

Then I suggested that CBD could be a more organized and formal application ofmany of the tactics used in the examples, so I asked the group to identifythe tactics they remembered, especially any the two cases had in common. Mostof the following were among those identified and recorded on newsprint.

* Defenders refuse to collaborate.

* Defenders carry on with pre-invasion life.

* Peaceful demonstrations are held and exhibit disciplined nonviolence.

* Defenders struggle to retain control of the social instruments that can beused for domination.

* Defenders undermine occupiers' morale. Defenders make occupiers feelunwelcome.

* Defenders confront occupiers with the discrepancy between their self-imageand their actions.

* Defenders provide a face-saving way out for the occupier.

What Would the Pluses and Minuses of CBD in the U.S. Be?

Then I asked the group to help me list the positive and negative aspects ofapplying a CBD model to the United States. These too were recorded onnewsprint.

How Could We Apply CBD to the U.S. Situation?

The last step was to ask the group how CBD might be implemented in the U.S.These were among the interesting ideas suggested:

* Focus on defending the values we hold sacred, not the U.S. government.

* Find a way to make CBD profitable (privatize defense). CBD contractorscould compete with military contractors to provide for national security.

* We need an issue to come together around.

* We need to humanize our adversaries.

* Start doing the training civilians would need and make detailed nonviolentdefense plans. Include all interested people and groups in the process. Don'twait for government leadership (the people must lead).

* We must overcome society's violent mind set.

* We should begin to seek natural allies now.

The group was fully engaged throughout the presentation and seemed to greatlyenjoy the discussions. I concluded by passing out back issues of CBD. Thenext day, when I was scheduled to conduct a short nonviolence trainingsession, the group requested a training oriented specifically towardpreparing for CBD.

Peter Bergel

Reprinted with permission from Civilian-Based Defense, volume 10, number 4,Winter 1995. Subscription information requuests to: CBDA, Box 92, Omaha, NE68101, USA. Email for the editor . The editor requestscontributions describing CBD presentation methods.

Civilian-Based Defense