Part IV Shaping the Future
Introduction To Strategic Planning
(“Waging Nonviolent Struggle,” Gene Sharp, 2005)
… Knowledge [of past nonviolent practices and and understanding of the processes operating in those cases] do not tell us what, if anything, we might do if we wish to make this type of struggle more effective in the future than it has been in the past. Considering the gravity of present conflicts in various parts of the world, and also projection about possible future forms of oppression, domination, and exploitation, it is highly desirable that people who choose to oppose these systems have at their disposal new information about how they can apply this technique still more effectively than it has been applied in the past.
One of the most important skills that will greatly contribute to making this technique more effective in the future is the ability to plan strategies for waging this technique of struggle in a variety of conflict situations.