The Atomic Bomb of People Power

Every nation’s economy is now entirely dependent on what is turning out to be the most important tool for people’s liberation the Earth has ever seen.

I’ve often written about the need to build a “culture of democracy.” By this I mean a lively, democratic way of life that encompasses two key elements: broad civic literacy and widespread engagement with political affairs.

But why is it important to achieve this? Because of the received wisdom that democracy is “a good thing”? A valid reason perhaps, but it pales in comparison to a much more important one.

The real reason we need to establish a culture of democracy is that power is being thrust upon the people, and nothing is going to stop it. The internet has empowered citizens to a degree never before seen. Ordinary people everywhere are now informed and connected in ways that are fundamentally changing the rules of how citizens and authorities interact.

Right now, the Jasmine Revolution is spreading throughout the Arab world. It is difficult to say if it will be immediately successful; all too often, authorities make brutal examples of the defiant, rather than submitting to their demands. But what is happening now signals a sea change in how human societies manage themselves. Information is knowledge and knowledge is power, and the people of the world now have considerable power at their fingertips.

The democratization of information through the internet is the new norm. Moreover, WikiLeaks has demonstrated that state and corporate secrets are increasingly rare commodities. Even if WikiLeaks is eventually shut down, new sites will fill that need again and again.

What we are witnessing in the Jasmine Revolution is a regional revolt against a history of neglect and autocracy. Historically there have been few regional revolutionary movements, but those that have occurred have been earth-shaking. Regional insurrections such as those that took place across Europe in 1848, in Africa in the 1960s, and in Eastern Europe in 1989 profoundly affected the entire planet – even when they weren’t initially successful.

Now the struggle for freedom is moving beyond national or even regional theatres. New, transnational solidarities are springing up. Who can forget the largest mass demonstrations in world history – fuelled by online organizing – that took place on Feb. 15, 2003, when up to 30 million people in 60 countries marched against the imminent invasion of Iraq? It was a day to remember, but the next few decades will see mass actions that dwarf that event.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter, recently gave this insightful summation of what is happening world-over: "For the first time in human history almost all of humanity is politically activated, politically conscious, and politically interactive ... The resulting global political activism is generating a surge in the quest for personal dignity, cultural respect, and economic opportunity."

Other significant changes are also in the works. Since the late 1940s, there has been a quiet but ongoing effort by the World Federalist Movement (WFM) to democratize the United Nations, essentially turning it into a world parliament for citizens rather than a forum for nation states. The past few years have seen the WFM change from a small, isolated group of academic idealists into a broad coalition that is gaining real political traction.

In this time of profound social transformation, ordinary people especially young people routinely bypass national laws and corporate regulations, acquiring what they need simply through online connections or by downloading directly from the internet itself. Authorities struggle in vain to curb this activity.

I’m not just talking about downloading pirated movies; it’s so much more than that. The internet has become a source of power for people the world over who have something to say. Even as I write this, friends on Facebook are posting links like “Stop The Meter On Your Internet Use” – a campaign by OpenMedia.ca, whose motto is “Engage, Educate, Empower” – and “Get Internet Access When Your Government Shuts It Down,” an article that comes not from an anarchist collective, but from staid old PCWorld magazine.

In the face of all this, shutting down the internet is simply no longer a realistic option. The Egyptian government did so on the weekend, but that measure could only be temporary; every nation’s economy is now entirely dependent on what is turning out to be the most important tool for people’s liberation the Earth has ever seen.

There is, of course, a dark side to the internet. Forces of repression use it as well, tracking dissident activity and easily accessing the online profiles of those who dare to speak out for freedom. While this is a danger, it has to be understood in the context of a great truth about power – that we are many, and they are few. Oppressors operate successfully when they construct an illusion of invincibility. When that illusion is shattered, governments fall – no matter how many files the secret police maintain.

In the old days the pen was considered mightier than the sword. In the 20th century, there were those who declared the typewriter mightier than the machinegun. Now, the internet is revealed as an atomic bomb of people power – a weapon that arms popular movements with previously secret information and enables people to form new communities of solidarity.

This is why we urgently need to inculcate values of peace, justice, and democracy. The world is rapidly shrinking to the size of a polis. The current struggles in the Arab world seem like they’re happening down the street. Other political upheavals will be even closer. The impending challenge of climate change will affect the entire human community. Societies that are connected, engaged, and free can better meet these challenges and the greater tests to come.

As the old song says, “People get ready/There’s a train a-comin’ …”