melanie sjoberg wrote:
> The discussion about Palestine on this list seems to be diverting into a
> rather abstract debate on whether or not the Palestinians are participating
> in non-violent action.
This is almost always the main political effect of non-violence considered as a strategy rather than as a tactic in specific cases. It serves to disrupt discussion among leftists of the actual issues. As you say the actual issues for everyone outside Palestine is not the rightness or wrongness of this or that Palestinian strategy but how we can best mobilize support for the Palestinians (whether they choose non-violence, guerilla warfare, rioting, or hymn singing as their preferred tactic/strategy).
The Philosophy of Non-Violence is not actually a program but rather a method of disrupting conversation on the left.
Carrol