Strategic Opposition

I’m only half way through A Quiet Revolution by Mary Elizabeth King, but I can already say that her analysis of the first Palestinian intifada, as well as her detailed documentation of the use of nonviolent resistance by the indigenous residents of the annexed and occupied territories over the last century of conflict with the Zionists, is unequivocally the most useful discussion of strategic opposition that I have read in a long time. For Americans, unaccustomed to thinking in the intergenerational time frames usually necessary for achieving independence — not to mention the requisite investment in the social infrastructure of ideas — King’s contribution to comprehending the arts of community-based political science is a most welcome addition to our sadly thin pool of knowledge. I look forward to adding it to our list of classic texts on communication for change.