the west’s nuclear umbrella –v- peace activists how protest is or is not voiced. dialogical self...
DESCRIPTION
What is the current situation? Non-Proliferation Treaty sabotage UK Trident replacement progressing Attempts to prevent perceived enemies from obtaining nuclear weaponsTRANSCRIPT
The West’s nuclear umbrella–v- peace activists
How protest is or is not voiced.Dialogical Self ConferenceCambridge, August 2008
Lloyd, Potter and Piachaud.
50 years of peace protest • Nuclear proliferation
and development continue.
• What can be done to help ‘wounded’ peace protestors?
What is the current situation?
• Non-Proliferation Treaty sabotage
• UK Trident replacement progressing
• Attempts to prevent perceived enemies from obtaining nuclear weapons
The Doomsday Clock is at 5 to midnight
This symbolic clock maintained since 1947 by the board of the Directors of the Bulleting of the Atomic Scientists at Chicago University uses the analogy of the human race being at a time that is “minutes to midnight” where midnight represents “catastrophic destruction”.
We describe 3 dialogical positions • The rulers’ ideology behind
nuclear weapons• The complacent subject’s
ion
• The complacent subject’s position
• The complacent subject’s position
• The citizen activist’s position
confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Escalating threats
Afraid, alert, (paranoid) controlled
Want to be on top
To convince you
Brinkmanship makes it real
we need the best weapons
New beginning myth
Trust us we are good
would be rid of nuclear weapons if
we could
But we know it’s too
dangerous
From outside
From above
From below
Possible CAT diagram of relational intelligence in nuclear weapons
From inside
Societal Intelligence Executive Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence
Communal Intelligence
confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed/
dehumanised
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Escalating
threats
Afraid, a
lert,
(paranoid)
controlled
To convince you
Brinkmanship makes it real
we need the best weapons
New beginning myth
Trust us we are good
New beginning myth
In an argument similar to Blair’s about going to war in Iraq that we have gone so far we cannot turn back now, they state we have invested so
much we might as well hold on to it just in case.
Just in caseThe idea of insurance seems a familiar and sensible plan and appeals to our ordinary and everyday sense of needing to be careful and protect against danger.
Both countries continue to cement their “Special relationship” creating a wider rationality arising from a sense of alliance. Both aim at status and prestige; the UK by association with the super-power and the US by the continued subservience of its point of origin and a toe hold into Europe.
confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Escalating threats
Afraid, alert, (paranoid) controlled
Want our way of life to prosper
economy grows in narrow corporate way
Only if dependent on a military economy
then our values must prevail
Want to be on top
To convince you
Want comfort Brinkmanship
makes it real
Surely our leaders are
wise
we need the best weapons
New beginning myth
Trust us we are good
would be rid of nuclear weapons if
we could
But we know it’s too
dangerous
Learned Helplessness Helplessness leads
many people to remain afraid, alert and cautious; a state that in itself makes people very receptive to any destabilising and threatening situation.
confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Escalating threats
Afraid, alert, (paranoid) controlled
Want our way of life to prosper
economy grows in narrow corporate way
Only if dependent on a military economy
Arms race gets MAD
then our values must prevail
Want to be on top
To convince you
Want comfort Brinkmanship
makes it real
Surely our leaders are
wise
we need the best weapons
Want show strength
“Weapons used”
New beginning myth
Trust us we are good
would be rid of nuclear weapons if
we could
But we know it’s too
dangerous
Armageddon
stories
confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Escalating threats
Afraid, alert, (paranoid) controlled
Want our way of life to prosper
economy grows in narrow corporate way
Only if dependent on a military economy
Survival and salvation myth
Better dead than red/jihad
Arms race gets MAD
then our values must prevail
Helpless or cynical
Want to be on top
Too painful to imagine
To convince you
Want comfort Brinkmanship
makes it real
it wont happen to us
Surely our leaders are
wise
we need the best weapons
Peaceniks are traitors
Want show strength
“Weapons used”
New beginning myth
Trust us we are good
would be rid of nuclear weapons if
we could
But we know it’s too
dangerous
Armageddon
stories
Dissent and debate in the face of this appeal to national authority and tradition can feel daunting and make protest seem deviant.
There is a risk of blaming the messenger and not the message or the originator of the message. “Why did you have to tell me, I don’t want to think about these things”?
confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Escalating threats
Afraid, alert, (paranoid) controlled
Want our way of life to prosper
economy grows in narrow corporate way
Only if dependent on a military economy
Survival and salvation myth
Better dead than red/jihad
Arms race gets MAD
then our values must prevail
Helpless or cynical
Want to be on top
Too painful to imagine
To convince you
Want comfort Brinkmanship
makes it real
it wont happen to us
Surely our leaders are
wise
we need the best weapons
Peaceniks are traitors
Want show strength
“Weapons used”
New beginning myth
Trust us we are good
would be rid of nuclear weapons if
we could
But we know it’s too
dangerous
Armageddon
stories
Where does this leave peace protestors?• When we grew up, protestors were
portrayed as eccentric, old fashioned and helpless on the one hand or as subversive and against the safety first policy at the heart of the nation.
The core aim for activists is protesting to increase awareness of both the rulers and the ruled of the damaging consequences of having weapons of mass destruction.
Peace activist messageAny usage would
only lead to Mutually Assured Destruction
How can activists argue their case more effectively?
How can peace activists work alongside, not against, whilst
describing invitations to join the spin?
Push points for peace activists
Advantages to:
maintaining human life Equality Environment
Achievable through
Realistic risk assessment
Encouraging dialogueHumanising the
‘others’
Example of more effective protest
• Peace protestors feel manipulated, hopeless and outraged
• Want to expose manipulation and feel empowered.
Going head to head
Either question the motives and integrity of the leaders, which results in a battle of words and perpetuates the manipulation
Realism without hype
Or provide dependable, accurate, succinct information.
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Escalating threats
Afraid, alert, (paranoid) controlled
confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
New beginning
Offer alternative position:
“Staffing at the Atomic Weapons Establishment has grown by a third in the last five years, with billions spent on new facilities, yet throughout this the Government has been telling MPs and the public that it would be years before any decision was needed. ……. the MoD is secretly telling the defence industry one thing, whilst Ministers are saying quite the opposite to Parliament.“ Kate Hudson, Chair of CND. Interview in The Guardian. 25.7.08
Guaranteed confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Protesting
Increasing awareness
Multi lateral talks
Arms race becomes MAD
Activists response to rulers
Want to show that safety comes through peace
Want to expose
manipulation
Only if threat seems real (but threat is delusional)
Our weapons add to the danger
If become war mongering
Weapons used
New beginning struggle
Arms race challenged
Show this is unstable
We describe peace / war options with realistic projected consequences
Peace is portrayed as
Truly heroic and brave
Wanting to make a difference
We become aware of the aims and views of the people we want to influence
We select who we want to engage and target our message at their level
We evaluate their responses and further refine our message to open up dialogue
Guaranteed confidently destroying
Totally Destroyed
Saving Protecting
Protected saved and dependent
Protesting
Increasing awareness
Only if to prosper
economy not dependent on
Military Industrial complex
Better with a less militaristic more green pluralistic
economy,
Must disarm unilaterally
Personal challenges to complacency
Want: to be safe and sure
Want to bring the world to its
senses
Exposing the dependency culture
on wise safe leader
Wasteful, risky and doesn’t work militarily or
economically
New beginning struggle
Expose hidden costs of cost of nuclear weapons
Activists’ responses to people
Wanting to win hearts and minds
Present nuclear disarmament as patriotic, prestigious and a safer solution
Promote peaceful discussions as achieving national aims
Wanting people to find their own voice and strength.
Focus on issues with direct local consequence
Suggest small and relatively achievable goals
Target likely sympathetic but quiescent people
We are part of the problem
Question the integrity of our leaders