Gene Sharp: the New York Times story of the origins of the Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings

Look.  Even if there are some attempts by US or other outside parties to influence events in Egypt and elsewhere, the underlying causes of the revolutionary efforts by people on the ground are largely domestic and home grown.  Most people, I insist, have not heard of Sharp.  Here what the NYT story says: "For their part, Mr. Maher and his colleagues began reading about nonviolent struggles. They were especially drawn to a Serbian youth movement called Otpor, which had helped topple the dictator Slobodan Milosevic by drawing on the ideas of an American political thinker, Gene Sharp. The hallmark of Mr. Sharp’s work is well-tailored to Mr. Mubark’s Egypt: He argues that nonviolence is a singularly effective way to undermine police states that might cite violent resistance to justify repression in the name of stability."  Now on Gene Sharp. My friend Amer reminded me that back in 2005, an American foundation had contacted me to hire me to review the quality of an Arabic translation of a book by Gene Sharp.  I thought the task (and book) to be boring and I passed and I suggested that my friend, Amer,  can do the job.  He too thought it was boring.  It seems that Sharp now wants to claim credit for the uprisings simply because his book was translated by an AMERICAN foundation into Arabic.  Let us be clear: no one knows who he is, except those who were assigned to read it and peddle it.  Why does the White Man insist on taking credit for everything good the natives do?   As for the organization Otpor, I am told it has strong outside connections but its links to Tunisia and Egypt are non-existent or superficial and focusing on a few individuals who "were made available" to the NYT to talk to.  I expect that the US, now that its puppet has fallen, wants to plant stories to try to fabricate an American links to the uprisings.  Be vigilant: the propaganda and counter-propaganda have just begun.

Gene Sharp, again

Claudia in Germany sent me this:  "

this might be interesting for you:

Gene Sharp received the “Right Livelihood Award” (in german also called: “Alternativer Nobelpreis”)

... “… for developing and articulating the core principles and strategies of nonviolent resistance and supporting their practical implementation in conflict areas around the world.”   Gene Sharp is the world´s foremost expert on nonviolent revolution and has been described as the "Machiavelli of nonviolence". In a lifetime of academic work, he has established nonviolent action and people power as a successful means of political change. Sharp’s writings on nonviolent struggle have been used by social movements around the world, from the jungles of Burma to the streets of Serbia and Tahrir Square in Egypt during the Arab Spring.

…and by the way – all my egyptian friends/relatives have never ever heard of Gene Sharp and his book!".

How to Start a Revolution

I expressed outrage over the theme of this movie (about Gene Sharp) which was screened at the Center for Zionist Middle East Studies at Brandeis University.  I heard from the director: he kindly sent me a password to watch on-line.  I will report later.  But first: Gene Sharp starts by talking about his influence: and he marvels that his book has been translated into more than 30 languages.  I did not know that the man, who is irrelevant, is also dishonest: why did he not mention that his book was not translated into Arabic and other languages because people were interested in its contents but that it was translated at the behest of his own foundation which hired and paid the translators.  How dishonest of the irrelevant man.  Oh, but his book on revolution has original insights: he suggests that protesters should wave flags. I kid you not.  Before Gene Sharp made this observation, protesters in the Arab world were accustomed to waving their socks and underwear. Thank you Gene Sharp.  What would Arabs do without you.

How can you take the Guardian seriously? This is not the New York Times. They say Gene Sharp inspired Arabs

"Gene Sharp, US scholar whose writing helped inspire Arab Spring, dies at 90".  This would be a good parody of Western media coverage of Arab affairs.  And they say: "It has been translated, often by activists themselves".  Activists themselves? Translation of Gene Sharp was done by the institute of...Gene Sharp.  I am a witness of that because they contacted me regarding Arabic translation of his work and asked for suggestions for translation and editing and I thought they were so lame and uninteresting that I referred them to a friend.

Gene Sharp in Swedish press

Ulf sent me this:  "This might be a treat for you. Its from the website from our biggest tabloid.
Well. I havent really read the article, because you have to be a member to do that (to read exclusive articles), but this is what it is about:
Under the headline: "His words overthrows dictators."

"Millions of books are published every year. In Sweden about 25 000. Most of them means nothing to humanity. Some of the books are worthy of a reading, some of them sells a lot of copies and a few becomes classics.  But books that are changing the lives of millions of people are easy to count.
Gene Sharp, 84, has written one of these books." (Obviously my translation. Even though I should have added: Gene Sharp, 84, white of course, has written one of these books.)"

Gene Sharp inspired them

All that we know about Revolution we learned from booklets of Gene Sharp.  Ask Gene Sharp.

Gene Sharp taught them

Syrian rebels in Zabadani.  Gene Sharp is their mentor--for those who are still tracing the impact of Gene Sharp on Arab uprisings.  (By the way, why are the beards unshaved? Syrian National Council and Free Syrian Army gave strict orders that beards should be shaved to present an image of "civility").  (AP)

The comedy thickens

"The past year has seen people take to the streets across the Middle East and North Africa to demand an end to tyranny and oppression and as a result, unprecedented regime change has taken place across the region.  Less known is the extent to which the protesters were influenced by the 83-year-old political scientist, Dr Gene Sharp. His book From Dictatorship to Democracy has previously been utilised as a blueprint by democratic movements from Serbia, to the Ukraine, Guatemala to Indonesia, in their fight to overthrow oppressive regimes "  How dumb do you have to be to really believe that Gene Sharp actually inspired the Arab uprisings? The answer: very dumb indeed. (thanks Nir)


PS Nir has also been inspired by Gene Sharp in his personal revolts.  

Gene Sharp and OTPOR...in Venezuela

"According to an analysis published by Strategic Forecasting (Stratfor), Venezuelan student leaders traveled to Belgrade in 2005 to meet representatives of the AEI-trained opposition movement OTPOR-CANVAS, before later traveling to Boston to consult directly with Gene Sharp himself. When these allegedly non-partisan students hit the streets in 2007, their logo was exactly the same as that used by OTPOR and which appears in AEI literature.  Nowhere does Sharp bother contesting these facts regarding AEI's role in Venezuela."  Now, to believe that Sharp or OTPOR had anything to do with the eruption of the Egyptian uprising is to give credit to Bush for latest scientific discoveries. (thanks William)

The New York Times story yesterday about the origins of the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions

That story is still bothering me (see yesterday).  I have received many links and articles from colleagues and people in Latin America in particular about the role of Gene Sharp or AEI or the Einstein Foundation.  But all this is so irrelevant.  Even if US foundations brought youths from Egypt and even if they distributed translated works about non-violence, and even if some attended workshops all this affect a dozen or so of those youths.  This is a movement by hundreds of thousands of people and would not have succeeded if people who are NOT facebook or twitter generation did not join in.  And I still argue: the notion that people in Egypt know who Gene Sharp is is rather funny and crazy.  I mean, who buys that except Sharp himself to flatter himself?  Or those who believe those claims in the New York Times.  I want to also say this: the thesis of the article yesterday conforms with the thesis of the Mubarak regime itself: they for days in their official media peddled that thesis and argued that those youths had attended workshops by US foundations to do all that.  They had one disguised Youth member on TV one day: and it was so crazy.  He said: yes, they took us to a workshop and we stayed at a hotel and we attended lectures.  The anchorwoman said: and you got paid, right? He said: yes, we were paid.  She asked: what was the amount? He said: we were paid good money.  I got paid $500 for the leadership training program.  So $500 can buy a revolution? Against a puppet regime that you were desperate to keep?  But you know what it is?  The White Man can't leave the natives alone. No matter what they do, he has to take credit for their actions--if they are not violent.  But if the natives engage in violence, Islam and culture are responsible, and the White Man washes his hands of the natives.  And now there is a new ridiculous claim: that this comic book about Martin Luther King inspired the Egyptian Revolution.  It is only going to get worse once the book are written (and articles appear in the New York Times magazine).  But what do I expect when I read that a speech by Condoleezza Rice  (who is hated throughout the region) actually inspired the uprisings.

Pipeline in Homs: non-Violently bombed

It is hilarious how the Western media--obsessed with the New York Times theory that Gene Sharp inspired Arab uprisings--insist on the thesis that Arab uprisings are strictly non-violent even when violence hits their TV screens.  Did Gene Sharp inspire the bombing of the Homs pipeline today? 

Gene Sharp in Syria

I really don't hear anymore the notion of peaceful, non-violent uprising in Syria anymore...except in Hariri and Saudi media.  Here is a description of Homs in the New York Times today:  "They also spoke of an intensifying war in some neighborhoods, pitting defecting soldiers and other armed government opponents against the security forces and the army. Soldiers surrounded neighborhoods, tanks patrolling the streets. The residents, holed up in bathrooms or lower floors, could not say where most of the firing was coming from.  The fighting was concentrated in the Bab Amr neighborhood."  This is why I was surprised (a bit more than surprised) to read an account with a Gene Sharp bent in Jadaliyya--of all places (and written by a Now Hariri columnist).  It reads like the press releases of Hariri MPs in Beirut.  More, it makes this claim about the uprising:  "Consolidating national affiliations over narrow and primordial loyalties, with declarations of solidarity among towns and cities subjected to successive war crimes, and restoring the political, emotional, and social fabric that has been systematically fragmented by despotism."  Let me get this straight: so the sectarian kidnappings and torture between both sides in Homs serve to reinforce national loyalties?  I read this piece and learned what I knew not before about the operations of Hariri media and propaganda.  

Les tactiques of Gene Sharp

"Il a étudié les tactiques de la lutte pacifique avec le gourou de la discipline, l'Américain Gene Sharp. Le sujet de sa maîtrise : "Les nouvelles technologies et les révolutions non violentes"." (thanks Joakim)

Gene Sharp

I may have to stand corrected.  Maybe Gene Sharp was the real inspiration for Arab youths after all.  (thanks Laure)

Once again: Gene Sharp (yes, the influence of his ideas are widely abundant all over Syria)

Micheal sent me this: "Sure would like to read your thoughts on this...
"Or what about giving the award to peace theorist Gene Sharp, whose insightful writings on non-violent resistance helped inspire and guide the Arab spring?""

How to Start a Revolution: or the delusions of Gene Sharp

My latest blog post for Al-Akhbar Engilsh: " 'How to start a Revolution': or the Delusions of of Gene Sharp".

More Gene Sharp

"Yet others include US political scientist Gene Sharp, known for his theory of non-violent resistance which inspired some of the key figures behind the Arab Spring, Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki who was brought to power in 2011 by the revolution in his country, and television news channel Al-Jazeera." (thanks Mouin)

Gene Sharp: whatever happened to the New York Times theory that he inspired the Arab uprisings?

Do you remember all those articles in the Western press back in 2011 and even 2012 about how this pacifist American inspired the Arab youth? No one is peddling that theory anymore.  Unless it was Gene Sharp who inspired Al-Julani and Baghdadi.

Gene Sharp made me do it (again)

"Khawaja earned her college degree in Wisconsin. She has read deeply of Gandhi and of Gene Sharp, an American scholar who writes about how to use nonviolent protest to overthrow dictators."  I doubt that she ever heard of this guy in her life.  (thanks Andrew)

Gene Sharp

"Tattered copies of his book have been found on the streets of cities where people protested against their governments. In other countries, where the political scientist is portrayed as a dangerous CIA agent, his writings are banned."  What? No tattered copies of his book were found anywhere, and no country in the Middle East banned his books to my knowledge. He is too insignificant.  Let us agree on this: that this Gene Sharp business and the Arab uprising has been the worst news story of the last decade, by far.