UNCONVENTIONAL AND

HIGHLY CONFLICTIVE
POLITICS
Political Conflict: Protest to Revolution

Political conflict refers to a state of

opposition, usually involving groups and
the state, over something government is
doing or proposes to do.
Political protest can be defined as oppositional
political action that takes place outside formal
channels, generally seeking to have
government make significant changes in its
policies.
The Continuum of Protest
Analyzing Contentious Politics

To most people, seeking the common good

suggests reasoned deliberation and debate,
which are hallmarks of democratic politics.
However, this often needs to be
supplemented by more contentious politics;
the usually disruptive, direct, and highly
conflictive ways that people advance their
claims on elites, authorities, and opponents,
ranging from peaceful political protest to wars
and other lethal conflicts.
Protest for Political Action

Protest for political action has the following

characteristics:
Actions take place outside of formal channels.
They are usually carried out by individuals or
groups that are not ordinarily important political
actors.
Protest politics generally aims to have government
make significant changes in the policies it pursues.
Protest and Political Change

In general, people protest because they see

what Clark, Grayson, and Grayson (1976) call
institutional deficiencies- they think that
something is not working right and has to be
fixed.
Political protest has secured some dramatic
results and contributed greatly to
strengthening democracy in Canada (e.g.
Womens right to vote, making farmers
voices heard, Ottawas attention for First
Nations).
 Protest in Democracy and
Authoritarian regimes
Some argue that political protest does not
have a place in a democracy and that people
should express themselves through elections.
The view that democratic politics works is not
entirely accurate.
In many instances, following established
democratic procedures did not help the weak.
Under authoritarian regimes, protest is the
only option for citizens to voice their
grievances.
Transnational Political Protest

Social movements and political protest often

cross borders.
19th century examples of movements include
the anti-slavery and labour movements.
Later, the student movement of the 1960s and
the womens rights movement of the 1970s
were also international in scope.
The anti-globalization movement is a recent
example of contentious politics on a
transnational scale.
 Political Violence
Political violence can be defined as the use of
physical force with a political objective.
Violence can enter politics in several ways:
Violence can be a tactic chosen by an organization,
be it a protest movement or a guerrilla army, to
advance its aims.
Governments can also use violence against their
citizens. Sometimes this resort to physical coercion
is a response to a specific situation.
Violence can be an unplanned and undesired side
effect of an otherwise peaceful political action,
such as a protest march.
 Political Violence Used by:
State Actors
Anarchists
Nationalists
Revolutionaries
Mass movements
Trade Unions
 Objectives of Political Violence
To disrupt the peace and stability of the society
To change specific laws and policies
To challenge the authority and legitimacy of the
government
To replace the rulers of existing regime (coup detat)
To radically restructure the political, social and
economic structures of the existing state (revolution)
To create a new state (nationalist separatism)
Types of Political Violence

There are several types of political violence

that are either important today or have been
prominent during the last century:
guerrilla warfare or guerrilla insurgency, and its
counterpart, counter-insurgency
terrorism
revolution.
 Guerrilla Warfare
or Guerrilla Insurgency
All guerrilla insurgencies share five traits.
First, the guerrillas are highly mobile and use
hit-and-run tactics rather than set-piece battles.
Second, they are fewer in number and less well
armed than their adversaries.
Third, guerrillas operate in familiar, often difficult
terrain, which can be rural or urban where their
enemy loses its edge in technology and numbers.
Fourth, the guerrillas know their locale and often
have local support, which simplifies the task of
gathering intelligence and securing supplies.
Finally, guerrilla war is protracted war; if it ends
quickly, the guerrillas have probably lost.
 Counter-Insurgency
Counter-insurgency refers to a blend of
military and political action taken by a
government to defeat an insurgency.
What does it take to make counter-insurgency
work?
The answer is brief and seemingly simple:
repress and reform.
Government must control the guerrillas
militarily at the same time that it addresses
the complaints of those who support the
insurgents.
 Terrorism
What particularly sets terrorism apart from
other forms of political violence such as war,
rebellion, coup dtat, and revolution is its
conscious targeting of the innocent.
Terrorists use this tactic to sow fear among
the population, either simply to demonstrate
their power or in the hope that citizens will
pressure their governments to meet the
terrorists demands.
 Revolution

Revolution implies radical, far-reaching

change.
Political science distinguishes between two
forms of revolution.
Political revolutions - any armed overthrow of a
government that changes rulers but need not
affect the basic organization of society (they are
the more common form of revolution).
Social revolutions - involves armed overthrows
that bring in fundamental economic, political, and
social changes (these are very rare).
 Development Defined

The transformation of human, natural, and

material resources at various levels of social
interaction (local, national, regional, and
international/global) in order to enhance the
quality of life of individuals and groups.
Challenges to Global Development: Three
Categories

Global poverty and inequality

Human security
Environmental stress and degradation
 Three Dimensions of
Development
Economic
Social
Political
Consequences of Regime Breakdown

Non-democratic Regime Change

Liberalization
Transition to Democracy
 Three Forms of Nondemocratic
Regime Change
Political Dissent
Protest
Domestic violence and terror
International terrorism

Rebellion
Military coups

State Failure
Civil war
Total social breakdown