THE NEW TACTICS NEWSLETTER – February 24, 2005

Asia Workshop to be Held in Chiang Mai, Thailand (August 5-11, 2005)

The New Tactics in Human Rights Project, in collaboration with Forum-Asia, is now accepting applications for the Asia Regional Training Workshop, to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from August 5 to 11, 2005. This will be the fifth workshop in a series of five the New Tactics project has coordinated around the world. The meeting will engage innovative human rights practitioners from across the regions of South, Southeast and East Asia in sharing and developing ideas, practices, knowledge and skills to strengthen efforts to advance human rights. [more]

Jack Duvall and Adam Hochschild Visit Minnesota

In early February, Jack DuVall, of the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict, visited Macalester College to discuss the use of non-violent tactics to defend human rights worldwide. Before the lecture, Mr. DuVall showed "Bringing Down a Dictator," a documentary about Otpor!, the resistance movement in Yugoslavia that eventually defeated Slobodan Milosevic.

Since 2001, members of Otpor! have participated in several New Tactics training events, including the Central and Eastern Europe Regional Training Workshop and International Symposium.[Read Otpor! Activist Zorana Smiljanic’s Tactical Notebook]

We also heard from Adam Hochschild, whose new book "Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves" showcases successful tactics used in the British anti-slavery movement – the world’s first grass-roots human rights campaign. Mr. Hochschild is the co-founder of Mother Jones Magazine, and has written a series of books about some of the world’s major human rights abuses, including the prize winning "King Leopold’s Ghost : A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa." [Read a Review]

Micro Grant Recipients Share their Experiences Online

With the help of New Tactics micro grants, human rights practitioners from 15 countries recently held tactically focused meetings and workshops, or translated and distributed New Tactics materials. Visit the New Tactics Web Forum to learn how the experience of activists in Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Liberia, Azerbaijan, Nigeria and other countries can help you in your work. [Join the discussion]

Looking for New Tactics?

Over the past three years, the New Tactics Project has been collecting innovative tactics being used by practitioners around the world. Search the New Tactics database to learn what activists around the world have done to address the most pressing human rights issues. [Search the New Tactics Database]

New Tactics in Human Rights Workbook Now Available to Order

New Tactics in Human Rights: A Resource for Practitioners (also known as the New Tactics Workbook) is now available to order. This 200-page book includes 100 stories about how people around the world have addressed human rights concerns, along with practical worksheets and a theoretical discussion of tactical and strategic thinking. [more]