Egypt's Revolution 2.0: The Facebook Factor

Briiiiiliant!!! This is lucid and of great help for my Journalism Studies degree. Thank you ever so much for existing - and writing...

Jose

May I make a summary as I see it of the 10 most important strategies for a people power revolution?

1. Don’t have a visible spokesperson or committee to speak in public for the revolution. A beast with one head can be beheaded, by assassination, arrest or smear. A many-headed creature cannot be killed.

2. Keep your aims and demands simple and don’t have too many. The more stated demands you have, the easier it is for the regime to satisfy some of them and split off support. Justice must be the first demand.

3. Use ridicule, satire and contempt as your primary weapons. This has a two-fold effect – tyrants are extremely vulnerable to embarrassment, and are unsettled by disrespectful attitudes; and at the same time a sense of humour will make you much more attractive to the outside world.

4. Your principal strategy is to make the regime uncomfortable. Anything – from striptease protests to pirate videos to simply violating existing etiquette and forms of address – is valid here. Think big in your aims and think “small and many” in your actions.

5. All despotic regimes have a state TV station – that is the principal target. Cut the cables and power lines, jam it with radio signals if you can, blockade it to stop staff getting in.

6. All despotic regimes have nations that back them or trade weapons with them – the public in those countries will be guilty about participating in your oppression. You must also target them with letters to newspapers in those countries, telephone interviews, blog comments, and all other media.

7. Don’t attack or storm any regime positions – swarm around them. Never harm anyone. Isolate anyone in your movement who urges violence, don’t allow them to act in your name.

8. Don’t act in the darkness – dictators love the night. Try to coordinate all events in the full daylight so that the videocameras can record any repressive or violent action.

9. Find out which officers command the platoons and companies on the front lines, and try to find family members of those officers who will stand with them in the protest. Also sergeants and private soldiers if possible. This reinforces the idea that the army are the people, and discourages any violent response from the soldiers.

10. Believe no promises from the authorities. Ever. Even the most democratic of politicians lie to save their positions, and a despot will lie more grandly and more readily than any other.

Please translate to Arabic if you wish and pass it on...

AM IN DEED HAPPY FOR EGYPTIAN REVOLUTION. THIS IS QUESTION I KEEP ASKING IS. MUST THERE BE A REVOLT BEFORE A REVOLUTION? MUST THE CITIZENS SUFFER IN PENURY BEFORE DECISON OF CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT IS MADE BY THE LEADERS? MUST THEIR BE OUTSTED BEFORE A REVOLUTION? AFRICAN MY DEAR AND BELOVED COUNTRY WHY? IS TIME FOR A NEW GENERATION TO REBUILD A MORDERN NATION. I BELIEVE IN CHANGE AND YES WE CAN.

Power to the people man! They got fed up and DID something about it.

www.anon-toolz.edu.tc

ko

The change happening from the North is the signal of the change that will sweep the continent of Africa. When the youth will rise to the full power of their agency the beasts of injustice, dictatorship, and impunity will be faced secretly on the face, thanks to the New media, and most likely beheaded.

Thanks for the great article!

Thank you, Professor Herrera, for these helpful remarks. Thanks also to Alan for the thought-provoking summary. In response to E. Nelson, YES. People must be driven to revolt. They will not do it unless they are desperate.

To all the people of the 25 January revolution

Did anybody think of who will be the head of the People's Assembly later on, my view is the Dr. Yehia El Gamal as a matter of fact is qualified for any position he is entrusted with, what do you think?

We have seen the revolution in Libya. what a situation been faced by african because of greed by our leader. A leader ought to be subject to his people but african leader are for their selfish purpose. Libya revolution has brough so much questions to the international bodies. death every where. we are going to. must we suffer before to gain freedom? fellow compatriot let say no to this violence and embrace diplomacy to move forward.

جيدجدا