Between Hard and Soft Power: The Rise of Civilian-Based Struggle and Democratic Change
Transcript of a presentation by Peter Ackerman, delivered at the U.S. Department of State’s “Secretary’s Open Forum” in June 2004. In it, Ackerman explains how indigenous civilian-based power, often misunderstood by policymakers and the news media, can be a vital tool beyond diplomacy and military force in fostering democracy and human rights. To that end, he describes how nonviolent civilian-based movements have been a major force in displacing oppressive regimes and in producing stable civil societies.
U.S. Department of State, June 2004
