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Gene Sharp
Particularly, strategists will need to answer many fundamental questions, such as these: • What are the main obstacles to achieving freedom? • What factors will facilitate achieving freedom? • What are the main strengths of the dictatorship? • What are the various weaknesses of the dictatorship?
• To what degree are the sources of power for the dictatorship vulnerable?
• What are the strengths of the democratic forces and the general population?
• What are the weaknesses of the democratic forces and how can they be corrected?
• What is the status of third parties, not immediately involved in the conflict, who already assist or might assist, either the dictatorship or the democratic movement, and if so in what ways?
Choice of means At the grand strategic level, planners will need to choose the main means of struggle to be employed in the coming conflict. The merits and limitations of several alternative techniques of struggle will need to be evaluated, such as conventional military warfare, guerrilla warfare, political defiance, and others. In making this choice the strategists will need to consider such questions as the following: Is the chosen type of struggle within the capacities of the democrats? Does the chosen technique utilize strengths of the dominated population? Does this technique target