Does peaceful protest work when you're dealing with a dictator?

[gribbon]

I brought this up in the "Is war neccessary to humanity" thread, but as one person suggested creating a new one, here it is. As I said in my first post, the only example of where negotiation with dictator has worked which I can think of, is when Gaddafhi was persuaded by Mandela to bring about the two men responsible for the Lockerbie bombing. Even so, Qaddafhi still illustrated on countless occasion he was prepared to defy international law, and furthermore, he is not a particularly violent dictator. Beyond this, most negotiators are far inferior to Mandela. Does anyone disagree with me? Is negotiation and peaceful protest really worth the bother?

[infamous]

Originally Posted by fxzeu

Is negotiation and peaceful protest really worth the bother?

Absolutely fxzeu, the alternative costs much too much. Even if negotiation fails, it's always worth the effort. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.........................Infy

[pgrmdave]

I am a computer gamer, and for Christmas, my mother got me a new game that I'd never heard of - A Force More Powerful. It's a game in which you attempt to enact social change through non-violent means, and was created both as a game and as a tool to teach people how non-violent means work against certain types of oppressions. It's a rather good game (not great, but I like it) and is good at showing how peaceful means need to be used. If you're dealing with a dictator, then no - you cannot simply protest. You'll be arrested, or killed, and your message won't be heard. However, there are ways that you can put pressure on the regime without exposing yourself - by garnering international support, or the support of police or military groups. It's an interesting game and I'd recommend it to anybody who was interested in the effectiveness of non-violent strategy.

[sanctus]

And if you are enough people (= more than half of the citizens) then even in a dictatorship peaceful protests could work...