"Civil Resistance and the Dynamics of Nonviolent Conflict" is a professional level course developed by ICNC and presented under the auspices of the United States Institute of Peace.

This course is designed to provide an in-depth and multi-disciplinary perspective on civilian-based movements and campaigns that defend and obtain basic rights and justice around the world, and in so doing transform the global security environment. 

• WATCH VIDEOS AND PRESENTATIONS FROM THE 2010 COURSE
  

The world is witnessing a surge in people powered movements in places such as Iran, the Niger Delta, Honduras, and the West Bank. As a result, the international policy community is carefully following the courageous acts of civil disobedience utilized by people facing various forms of repression. But do we fully understand the strategic thinking and the methods of nonviolent action that civilian-based movements can employ to combat injustice?

Civil resistance and the dynamics of nonviolent conflict have been instrumental in political transitions from authoritarian and oppressive rule for many decades. Organized civic pressure has been used to fight colonialism and foreign occupation, advance women’s and minority rights, and improve transparency and good governance.

The course will examine such questions as:

• What is civil resistance?
• What determines the success or failure of a civil resistance movement?
• How can professionals in the field better understand and analyze what elements are at work when civilians use nonviolent tactics?
• How and when should external agents – governments, NGOs, media, business – act or not act when civil resistance is gaining momentum?
• How can the dynamics and history of civil resistance better inform the fields of conflict management, development, diplomacy, and peacemaking?