‘Only violent protests can achieve success against the most powerful of opponents’.

Hello readers,

In this blog, I will be discussing about the violent and nonviolent protests and about their success and failures. I will provide balance essay by giving arguments and counter arguments. First of all, i will define the key terms and will also describe any key terms that will come in the middle of the essay.

Violence is when people intend to use physical force to harm, kill or destroy someone or something. Non violence is when people use peaceful means to bring political or social change. Legitimacy is the right and acceptance of authority usually a governing law or regime. Protest is when people give statement or do action action to express disapproval or objection to something. There are two types of protest one is violent protest in which people fight and harm others, whereas non violent protest is peaceful and do not intend to harm anyone. Realism is a theory of political philosophy.

Violence must be the last resort of protest. Violent protest are always risky and dangerous but they can be successful against the powerful opponent. During the Arab spring in Egypt and Libya the rebels started protests against the government in 2011. The protests started peacefully, however the turned violent. Egypt, protest got much violent by causing the death of more than 800 people (according to CNN). In Libya the situation was worse because protest turned into in civil war. Government was powerful opponent against protesters and according to realist view it was legitimate for the government to use the violence to stop protest and government did used weapons on the civilians that even triggered more violence in the country and made the country hub of chaos. However government being too powerful was still unsuccessful against the violent protesters. In Egypt, the then president Hosni Mubarak abdicated from the government and was trialed. While, in libya situation was different Libyans killed the then President  Gaddafi. Referring to the question violent protest can be successful while seeing these two protest.

Another example for successful violent protest can be the independence of south Sudan Sudan was being ruled by Arab Africans they were suppressing the rights of Christian Africans. Majority of Christians were in South Sudan. South Sudanese started protest for independence of south Duan, soon this protest turned into violent protest and causing civil war. There were fightings between government and South Sudanese. In 2005 both parties agreed to ceasefire and UN gave Sudan 6 years to make referendum in South Sudan for their independence. From the perspective of violent protest being successful and seeing this example can lead us to desired outcome that violent protests are successful.

It's not always that violent protests can be successful but these can be failure and can lead country to chaos. In 2011 during the Arab spring in Syria, rebels stood against the government, like always protests started peacefully then turned into violent protest. Government started crackdown on rebels and this caused civil war outbreak. From 2011 rebels and government are fighting with each other and this has caused the one of the worst humanitarian crisis and country is still ruled by the same President, President Bashar al Assad. According to UN 40 million people have been displaced and have cause biggest refugee crisis in the world. Referring back to the question violent protests are not always successful against the powerful opponent.

Non violent protests can also be successful and bring huge political change in the country. In Tunisia during the Arab spring, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in front of the government building that caused peaceful outbreak of protest against president Zain ul Abdin and its regime. About month later President fled from the country.  Removal of the President from the office with peaceful protest is possible after referring to this example. Referring back to the question violent protests are not only successful, non-violent protests can also be successful.

Seeing the cases of violent protests from Egypt, Libya and South Sudan they can be successful while they also cause many other conflicts in the country that can lead to lead to chaos in the country. In Libya and South Sudan countries are in chaos due to political instability and non state actors working illegally inside the country and spreading terrorism. Egypt is also going through political instability after revolution. Syria has become the hub of conflict and chaos that has caused the worst humanitarian crisis in the country. Seeing Tunisia today, it is peaceful after the revolution, no chaos in the country, that is the success of the non-violent protests that they never let country to go into the chaos.