Gene Sharp - Sharp's Dictionary of Power and Struggle

ACTIVIST. A person who diligently and repeatedly tries to achieve some social, economic, or political objective, especially by participation in *protest, pressure, organizing, or *resistance.

See also ACTIONIST. ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM. See OVERLOADING OF ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEMS. ADVANCE. See STRATEGIC ADVANCE and TACTICAL ADVANCE. ADVERSARY. A group of *opponents in a *conflict.

ADVOCATE. One who espouses a cause in a *conflict.

AFFINITY GROUP (associated with nonviolent action). A small group of protesters or resisters, possibly formed in advance, who foster personal links and stay physically close during a larger *demonstration to provide each other with support and solidarity to strengthen and maintain their morale, discipline, and reliability during the action and the aftermath.

AGENT. A person who acts on behalf of another person, group, or institution, especially a political or governmental body.

AGENT PROVOCATEUR (associated with nonviolent action). A person who deliberately encourages, stimulates, or commits *violent acts during a *nonviolent struggle or other peaceful *opposition activities. The aim is to give the movement a violent image in an attempt to alienate public support, to justify *repression, or to induce the movement to shift fully to violent means (which may precede its demise).

Usually agents provocateurs are in the employ of the *political police. They may also act on behalf of political groups opposed to the nonviolent struggle movement. More rarely, they may also be lone individuals aiming to undercut the action movement for personal or political motives.

At other times, persons or groups may sincerely intend their *violence to advance the cause of the *actionists, but in fact produce similar results to actions of hostile agents provocateurs.

See also COLLABORATION, INFILTRATION , and NONVIOLENT DISCIPLINE. AGGRESSION. 1. An *attack initiated by *military *forces of one *State on the territory, population, or military forces of another *country.

2. An attack by an individual or group on the persons or material possessions of other individuals or groups. Aggression as a special type of action should be distinguished from psychological disposition toward *hostility and *aggressiveness.

AGGRESSIVE. Characterized by verbal and other symbolic expressions of *hostility, or by acts of *aggression, or by both.

AGGRESSIVENESS. An underlying tendency, drive, or disposition to engage in contention, *conflict, and acts of *aggression on others. This underlying factor or condition may be expressed in mild acts of self-assertion as well as displays of pugnacity. Not to be equated with *violence.