ARTICLES

A Force More Powerful
By Peter Ackerman and Jack Duvall

Although the 20th Century is considered the bloodiest century in history because of its wars and violent revolutions, during that same century, the non-violence of Gandhi and Martin Luther King was a “Force More Powerful” for many movements that overcame oppression and authoritarian rule and liberated over half the world’s population - revolutions with enduring change but without violence.

That same Force More Powerful can defeat the oppression, humiliation and exclusion that are still the order of the day in many regions of the world. These negative conditions cause the desperation and hopelessness that terrorism thrives on. By using the Force More Powerful, people can create for themselves the positive conditions that will not tolerate terrorism - conditions such as political participation, the rule of law, universal education, access to information and a free press.

Peter Ackerman and Jack DuVall, are the co-authors of A Force More Powerful: A Century of Nonviolent Conflict, the companion book to the PBS documentary of the same name, of which DuVall was executive producer. The case histories of the major non-violence movements are compared to movements that sought to change their circumstances through violent revolutions. The non-violent movements were incubators of democracy that involved people in a consensual process where they set the agenda and goals and accepted responsibility for the decisions. Violence is not a learning tool for governing. Violence may change an oppressive regime but it will not usher in democracy and self-government.

John McCain, United States Senator: “In their well-written, often moving book, [the authors] deliver a compelling argument for the efficacy of non-violent resistance….I recommend it to anyone who believes that power only flows from the barrel of a gun.”

Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States: “These are powerful stories about truth overcoming lies, love dissolving evil, and life eclipsing death. Non-violent valor can end oppression, and the world of the 21st century will be safer, freer, and more humane if it heeds the lessons of this book.”

See - How to topple Saddam Hussein – Non-violently - With Weapons of the Will, a current article by Peter Ackerman and Jack DuVall about non-violent alternatives to war in Iraq.