As a path to liberty, violent attacks against the government seem to be a doomed strategy, for several reasons. For one thing, they’re experts at violence; it is their core competency. For another, violent revolutions tend to attract many people who like violence for its own sake. These folks will at best stir up trouble; at worst, they’ll use the turmoil to their own ends, and people with actual functioning consciences will be lined up against the wall and dispatched.
There are other avenues which are more promising. There’s an entire institute devoted to the notion of peaceful revolution. They’ve written several books about it. I refer you to the Albert Einstein Institute.
Their mission statement follows:
The mission of the Albert Einstein Institution is to advance the worldwide study and strategic use of nonviolent action in conflict.
The Institution is committed to:
· defending democratic freedoms and institutions;
· opposing oppression, dictatorship, and genocide; and
· reducing the reliance on violence as an instrument of policy.
This mission is pursued in three ways, by:
· encouraging research and policy studies on the methods of nonviolent action and their past use in diverse conflicts;
· sharing the results of this research with the public through publications, conferences, and the media; and
· consulting with groups in conflict about the strategic potential of nonviolent action.
