The balance of powers between the rival forces determines if the “Resistance Forces” are going to take a defensive position, an offensive one or a mixture of both. It is also the one which will determine whether to get engaged in the decisive battle or avoid it, and how the partial tactical battles are going to be fought. The “Resistance Movements” should be aware of the different levels of action, and realize the mechanisms by which they will be moving from the stage of “Imbalance of Power” in favor of the opponent, to the stage of “Strategic Parity” in the balance of powers, then to the stage of “Strategic Superiority” on that opponent.(1)

When the “Resistance Powers” do not have enough capabilities to get engaged in a direct battle with the opponent, they can resort to circumvent him by creating a strategy which is specially designed for facing dictatorial regimes, and superior to the opponent’s strategy, hence avoid a direct encounter with him. “The state’s muscles are stronger than the muscles of any political party”(2), therefore, in facing the power of dictatorships, movements should adopt a method that is characterized by extreme flexibility in movement, an ability to make an initiative, to hit and run, and not to turn into reactions.

The idea of the “Effective Cluttering and the Proper Assembly” is based on the strategy of “Indirect Approaching”, and this strategy means “not to grab the bull from his horns”, i.e. not to test the enemy in a “Direct Examination of Force”, and not to move towards the enemy before taking the necessary precautions to destabilize his balance by implementing an unexpected attack from multiple directions. The “Indirect Approaching” tactics impose themselves on one of the disputing antagonists, if he is not completely confident that he is strong enough to overcome his adversary in a battle which will erupt on a field chosen by the enemy.

Lidle Heart suggests the methodical use of the “Indirect Approaching” strategy, i.e. approach the opponent from unexpected directions, then in expected ones, and change them in order to distract the enemy from the real objectives of the attack.(3)

Therefore, campaigns and projects should start off from more than one direction, and get generated from more than one source, so that society is capable of producing projects without waiting for or depending on the existence of a “Central Command”, or a “Charismatic Leader” that facilitate for the dictatorial regime to suppress and kill “Society’s Movement of Change” in its early stages by eliminating its leadership.

These projects are diverse in more than one aspect; they form a strategic outspread of projects which pervade community. This “Effective Cluttering” does not mean that someone planned for each group its role, and the effectiveness of this strategy is ensured by the clarity of the “Map of Conflict” for all participants and activists, identification of the needs of the stage, areas in which an effort should be made, and the empty spaces which needs to be filled and worked on by someone. They are scattered projects that are not combined under a central command; however clarity of compass and the provision of general directions guarantee their effectiveness. As for the motion of these projects themselves, it is not forethought by a central command, nevertheless it is a stream flowing between the two banks of the “River of Change”, these two banks prevent the stream to deviate from its course, here they represent a common intellectual background for the “Culture of Change”, tools of action, clarity of the strategy of the phase, comprehension of the “Map of Conflict” and the position of each project on this map. By this, it is possible to prevent the implementation projects which will operate in a strategic vacuum.

This scattering continues-even If it was sometimes accompanied with coordination between some of the projects- to enable the “Resistance Forces” to transfer various sectors from the “Spectator’s Seat” to the “Arena of Act”, through a variety of projects which can absorb the capacities of society. Then the new leaderships, which matured due to action and emerged from groups, will stand out in the community. The intellectual leadership for society’s mobility during this stage is often represented by visionaries and intellectual leaders, and Studies and Research centers which provide the direction of action, follow up the activists’ response, and test the efficiency of this response. Hence the visions of intellectuals develop due to activists’ responses and initiatives, also by studying the different impacts of these movements on the authoritarian regime.

When community, with all its different forces, fills the required spaces, comes the opportunity to mobilize these forces in one act, in a unified campaign to achieve the requested final result. This is the moment of the “Proper Assembly”, by then the assembly becomes effective and it is difficult to target its leaderships after society was trained to work without a central command. This kind of “Assembly” usually needs some kind of centralization especially concerning determining the form of the decisive action, the strategy of implementation, and providing substitutes in the case of failure. Therefore, efforts might be assembled under the framework of a “National Front”, which represents the “Forces of Change” through a leadership who’s capable of performing the needed role for this stage, of representing the “Resistance” and negotiating, in some cases.

This strategy and type of action requires a highly flexible organizational structure, whether within movements or parties or various segments of society.

Translated by Rana Mohammed

May 13^th, 2007