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Navigating Elite Power Challenges in Diplomacy

Explore grassroots opposition, cross-border networks, civil society, and cyberwar dynamics in diplomatic contexts. Analyzing the impacts of local foreign policies, global civil society growth, NGO influence, and state responses.

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Navigating Elite Power Challenges in Diplomacy

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  1. The Crisis of Diplomacy -III Outflanked from Below

  2. Challenges to Elite Power • reading: M.Shuman. “Dateline Mainstreet” • reading: C. Thorup: “Cross-border Coalitions” • reading: J.Arguilla & D.Ronfeldt: ”Cyberwar” • reading: H. Cleaver, "The Zapatistas and the Electronic Fabric of Struggle"

  3. Grassroots Opposition • Elite has often had to have “internal diplomacy” for those excluded from decision making who objected • e.g., WWII (Roosevelt & Churchill, Donovan & Stephenson) • Grassroots = individual or informal groups of individuals • can coalesce into more or less formal organizations • are often called NGOs • can become political parties, electoral or not • can influence govt at all levels • Shuman ignores dynamics of such developments

  4. Local Foreign Policies • Shuman analyses local or municipal govts • Constitution reserves foreign policy for federal level • Yet, there are thousands of local initiatives • Interpretation of the law is loose • “consciousness raising” tolerated • unilateral actions challenged thru: 1. supremacy clause, 2. comerce clause, • Shuman’s 4 guidelines: 1. fed support for consciousness raising, 2. tolerate all but clearly dangerous actions, 3. work with locals, 4. tighten laws in dangerous areas

  5. Cross-Border Networks • Thorup (now w/USAID) dealt with free trade & immmigration issues • “domestic interest groups”, NGOs • “cross-border networks” --some analysis of genesis, meetings, sharing information, etc. • Focus: impact on formal diplomacy, esp. US-Mex • disruption of elite plans • self-organization autonomous of state • mainly lobbying Congress against executive wing • Elite Response: co-opt, divide & conquer

  6. Views from the Bottom • reading: H.Fredericks: “Global Civil Society” • Fredericks was director of the PeaceNet network of social activist groups, “conferences” • @igc.apc.org • reading: H.Cleaver: “Electronic Fabric of Struggle”, "The Zapatista Effect: the Internet and the Rise of an Alternative Political Fabric • reading: • creator/moderator of Chiapas95 • part of pro-Zapatista network supporting struggle for democracy in Mexico & anti-neoliberal struggles

  7. Civil Society - I • increasingly used concept • reborn in E.Europe during struggle against communist state • used to theorize social spaces and activities not colonized by the state • can be traced back to Greeks • most today refer to John Locke, • but for him “civil society” = society & included state • participant in civil society was “citizen”

  8. Civil Society - II • “Civil society” separated from the state in late 18th, early 19th Centuries • perceived need to balance civil society to limit state • for Hegel civil society was self crippling, needed state to overcome limitations, includes market

  9. Civil Society - III • for Marx civil society was capitalist society, state was outgrowth of class rule • so both civil society & state were rife with class contradictions

  10. Global Civil Society • Howard Fredericks speaks of “Global” civil society (GCS), neither market nor government • His “civil society” is embodied in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) • Growth of GCS facilitated by development of communications, decentralized technology • Examples: China, Gulf War, etc. • Conclusion: communication is human right • HMC: objection: NGOs substituted for grassroots

  11. NGOs, Big & Small • Term “NGO” regroups revolutionary groups, human rights groups, elite policy groups outside government, e.g., AZ, AI, Ford Foundation • Grassroots creativity in cyberspace, elaboration of computer communications as element of other struggles • E.g., AZ uses internet lists, webpages to support the Zapatistas & oppose neoliberalism • E.g., AI uses same to oppose human rights abuses

  12. Zapatistas & Electronic Fabric of Struggle - I • Two experiences of horizontal organizing: • Mayan community networks • Cyberspacial networks • Linked through both individuals and various groups • Within network, there is tension between traditional forms of organization and new/old network forms • State responses: • in Chiapas: attempted isolation, lies, violence • in cyberspace: theory & action

  13. Netwars? • RAND Corp analysis (see Domhoff) • cyberwar & netwar (1st shows why “war”) • orientation toward dev. of state policies of control • “Netwar” actors: states, narcos, terrorists & “advocacy movements” (my interest) • Advocacy movements increasingly organized into cross-border networks, identify w/civil society • Networks vs institutions, horizontal linkages vs vertical hierarchies • State must develop networks to counter networks

  14. The Pentagon Rewires itself for for ‘Information Warfare’ BUT... WHO controls the wires?

  15. The Master-Mind !!

  16. Air Force Vision of the “CyberWarrior”

  17. Zaps & Electronic Fabric of Struggle - II • Response in Cyberspace • theoretical as with Arguille & Ronfeldt • attempt to understand & find countermeasures • practical actions • repression (raids, new laws, censorship) • “Low intensity warfare” on cyberfrontier • This within wider general program of neoliberal austerity and repression of workers & peasants • Current status: grassroots have initiative

  18. --END?--

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