What if Gandhi Had a Smartphone

7/29/2019 What if Gandhi Had a Smartphone

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What if Gandhi had a

Smartphone?

Joseph G. BockInternational Center on Nonviolent Conflict

December 5, 2012


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Outline

I. Theory

II. Three Generations of Technologies

III. Dynamism and Dance of Technology Usage

IV. LimitationsV. Use by Oppressive Governments and Militant Groups

VI. Technologies to help Deal with Troublemakers

VII. Blackouts

VIII.Ethical Dilemmas

IX. What would Gandhi do?


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Clarification

WALTER BOSSHARD / HULTON-DEUTSCH COLLECTION / CORBIS


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Loyalty Shift Theory

regimes crumble when

pillars of support are

weakened.

Review ofWhy Civilian Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic

of Nonviolent Conflict, by Erica Chenoweth and Maria J.

Stephan. New York: Columbia University Press, 2011, in

Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict: Pathways toward terrorism

and genocide, Vol. 5, Issue 1, 2012: 74-76, found at

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17467586.201

2.708878 See the presentation by Erica Chenoweth at

http://nonviolent-

conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-

resources/educational-initiatives/academic-

webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-

worksq
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17467586.2012.708878http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17467586.2012.708878http://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://nonviolent-conflict.org/index.php/learning-and-resources/educational-initiatives/academic-webinar-series/622-qwhy-civil-resistance-worksqhttp://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17467586.2012.708878http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17467586.2012.708878http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17467586.2012.708878


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Three Generations of Technologies for

Nonviolent Noncooperation


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First Generation

Technology Examples Advantages Disadvantages

Sending

information with

messengers

Informants travel to

communicate with

others involved in

the movement; use

of a printing press

Discreet, simple Disruption of travel;

risk of getting

captured/tortured

Sounds Firecracker for early

warning; drums

Speed, simplicity Small range

Signals Smoke signals; light

flashes/Morse code

Further range than

sound

Weather must be

conducive for

smokesignals/training

needed to translate

code


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Second GenerationTechnology Examples Advantages Disadvantages

Regular phones (land

lines)

Voice communication;

messaging through

number of rings

Communication across

distance

Disruption; surveillance

by authorities

Transistor

radios/community radios

Social marketing;

communication of

movements actions

Wide audience, even in

impoverished locations;

stations outside of

country can keepcommunications flowing


by authorities

Television Social marketing;

Communication of

movements actions

Less of an audience, but

provides information

visually


by authorities

Cell phones Communication with

moderate leaders within

a trust network

Owned and used widely

in many countries


by authorities

Satellite phones Communication within a

trust network and

internationally

Less amenable to

disruption

Expense; surveillance by

authorities


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Third GenerationTechnology Examples Advantages Disadvantages

Text messages/e-mail/internet form

submissions

General communication;generate events and asset

data crowdsourcing

Can get information fromlots of people; inexpensive Disruption; surveillance;verification can be a

challenge

Micro-blogs/sending text,

pictures, and video (usually

taken with smartphones)

Twitter Rapid crowdfeeding of

messages, graphic pictures

and video

Disruption; surveillance;

verification can be a

challenge

Automated events data

generation

Virtual Research Associates

Reader

Potentially inexpensive to

collect data (as compared tohuman coding)

Expensive to set up; only

available in English

Pattern recognition and data

mining

Moving Average

Convergence-Divergence

analysis; Hidden Markov

Models; Operational Code

analysis

Hedge against pathologies of

collective assessment

Requires lots of data (with a

possible exception of

operational codes); black

box problem; a

downplaying of inductive

reasoning; precipitatingevents are sometimes

singular so there is no

pattern


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Third Generation (continued)

Technology Examples Advantages Disadvantages

Digital mapping/use of

GIS data

Ushahidi Visual depiction of events

and asset data, includes

location; readily identify

hot spots; resource

optimization

Visible to nefarious actors

unless depicted on a

secure site

Virtual reality Second Life Training in remote

locations; cost-savings;

scalability; role-playing

anonymously

Surveillance; arguably

less effective than in-

person training

Unmanned Areal

Vehicles/satellite imaging

View of janjaweed

movements in Sudan

Nano-technology difficult

to detectless

diplomatic capital

expended

Expense; low resolution

(of some satellite data);

snapshots only once a

day if satellite isstationary in space


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Dynamism and Multi-Dimensional

Dance of Technology Usage

What is available and how can it be adapted?

But


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Limitationswhat else is needed?

The Big Three:

1. Civic infrastructure (including a trust network)

2. Strategy

3. Discipline

Others:

1. International supporters who use leverage

2. Rule of law

Keep in mind the 90/10 Rule (Chris Blow)see the presentation by

Heather Leson of Ushahidi, Reimagining Citizen Engagement, athttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagement#btnNext
http://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagementhttp://www.slideshare.net/Ushahidi/reimagining-citizen-engagement


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Rule of law--not necessarily a Western variety

Abdul Ghaffer Khans

brotheremphasized

nangto do what is

honorable involvesdefending the vulnerable

part of the code of ethics

known as Pashtunwali


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It is honorable to protect the

vulnerable otherAfter World War II ended and a postwar British government finally promised self-government forIndia, rioting broke out between Hindus and Muslims. [Mahatma] Gandhi and [Abdul] GhafferKhan traveled together trying to stop it, achieving mixed results at best. Ghaffer Khan returned tothe North-West Frontier Province to address the problem there among his own people. Althoughthe Khudai Khidmatgars [his group of followers otherwise called the Servants of God] movementhad been explicitly, intensely Islamic, the leaders had also kept it non-communal [meaning thatthey did not foment ethnoreligious nationalism]. One of its objectives had been the promotion ofHindu-Muslim unity. On one occasion, when Hindus in Ghaffar Khans home region of Peshawar

were threatened, his brother called in 10,000 Khudai Khidmatgars. All were Muslim, armed onlywith faith and courage, yet they were able to protect Hindus and Sikhs against rioters and torestore peace in the city.

Excerpt from Robert C. Johansen, Radical Islam and Nonviolence: A Case Study ofReligious Empowerment and Constraint Among Pashtuns,Journal of Peace Research,Vol. 34, No. 1, 1997, p. 64, found at http://jpr.sagepub.com/content/34/1/53

Also see the work of Ali Gohar and others at Just Peace International athttp://www.justpeaceint.org/servantof(GOD).php
http://jpr.sagepub.com/content/34/1/53http://jpr.sagepub.com/content/34/1/53http://jpr.sagepub.com/content/34/1/53http://www.justpeaceint.org/servantof(GOD).phphttp://www.justpeaceint.org/servantof(GOD).phphttp://www.justpeaceint.org/servantof(GOD).phphttp://www.justpeaceint.org/servantof(GOD).phphttp://jpr.sagepub.com/content/34/1/53http://jpr.sagepub.com/content/34/1/53


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Dont oppressive governments and

militant groups use it too?

Three arguments:

1. If they do, we need to

2. We can stay one step ahead (ofgovernments at least)

3. Everybody can participate


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Technologies to help deal with troublemakersthose

engaged in disruption of nonviolent movementsType Useful Capacities/Technologies

Planned trouble Identifying hot spotscrowdsourcing and digitalmapping

Trust network communication for intervention

Automated events data generation and trend analysis

and pattern recognition for early warning

Broadcasting of nefarious intent to influential

international outsiders using micro-blogs

Spontaneous trouble Identifying hot spotscrowdsourcing and digitalmapping

Network casting

Events data trend analysis and pattern recognition for

early warning and resource optimization

Bluffed trouble Automated events data generationData miningto detect and follow bluffing

Crowdsourcing truth checkingMythbusting using crowdfeeding

Predictable trouble Social media communications to calm crowdsTrust Network feeding


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What about blackouts?

Step back (to radios for instance)

Go forward (to satellite phones)

Pivot to outsiders


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Ethical dilemmas

Non-transparencydont yell fire in a

theater (sometimes we need to rely on the

crowd but should not inform the crowd)

Influence of outsidersembrace the principle

that those at risk make decisions and develop

strategy(support their capacity to do so)


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Weve Covered

I. Theory

II. Three Generations of Technologies

III. Dynamism and Dance of Technology Usage

IV. LimitationsV. Use by Oppressive Governments and Militant Groups

VI. Technologies to help Deal with Troublemakers

VII. Blackouts

VIII.Ethical Dilemmas

but


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The final question: What would

Gandhi do?I think he would:

1. Propagate Satyagraha and use of nonviolent strategy using virtual reality

2. Make calls to the other

3. Use speed dial to contact influential political, civic, and religious leadersduring times of acute tension

4. Communicate with followers using Twitter5. Use a secure medium for communication with his trust network

6. Take pictures of human rights abuses and ethno-religious harmony andshare them using Twitter

7. Use Twitter to calm people and to counteract false rhetoric

8. Inspire using YouTube

9. Stay in touch with people of all faiths so as to overcome the politics ofdivision

10. Own a Blackberry with the GIS data feature turned on


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Thank You

Some of My Best Teachers--Foundation for Co-Existence


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Thanks also to

Amanda Atkins

Marguerite Avery

Casey Barrs

Michael Clark

Nilan Fernando

Shavkat Kasymov

Sue Lyke

Clark (Rick) McCauley

Patrick Meier

Robert Perera

Katie Persons

Emad Shahin

Jen Ziemke

and many others.

And, of course to Jake Fitzpatrick and Maciej Bartkoski, as well as all of the officers and staff at theInternational Center for Nonviolent Conflict


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Questions/Comments

Documents

What if Gandhi Had a Smartphone