Excerpted from Chapter 6, “A Taxonomy of Action”, of the book
Deep Green Resistance: Strategy to Save The Planet.
The strategies and tactics we choose must be part of a grander strategy.
This is not the same as movement-building; taking down civilization
does not require a majority or a single coherent movement. A grand
strategy is necessarily diverse and decentralized, and will include many
kinds of actionists. If those in power seek Full-Spectrum Dominance,
then we need Full-Spectrum Resistance.Effective action often requires a high degree of risk or personal sacrifice, so the absence of a plausible grand strategy discourages many
genuinely radical people from acting. Why should I take risks with my
own safety for symbolic or useless acts? One purpose of this book is to
identify plausible strategies for winning.If we want to win, we must learn the lessons of history. Let’s take a closer look at what has made past resistance movements effective. Are there general criteria to judge effectiveness? Can we tell whether tactics or strategies from historical examples will work for us? Is there a general model—a kind of catalog or taxonomy of action—from which resistance groups can pick and choose?
The answer to each of these questions is yes.
Read the rest of Strategic Resistance on the DGR website.