Session IX: Using a Strategy Game to Plan Resistance to a Coup
SESSION IX
USING A STRATEGY GAME TO PLAN RESISTANCE TO A COUP
PURPOSE OF THIS SESSION: To use a realistic game that will enable participants to try out and evaluate their strategies and tactics for resisting an attempted coup.
MATERIALS NEEDED: (1) Flipchart stand; (2) Pad of newsprint: (3) Magic makers; (4) Pencils and paper for all participants.
ESTIMATED TIME: Three hours minimum. To get the full impact and benefit of a strategy game, it should be played over the course of a whole day.
INTRODUCTION: PURPOSE OF A STRATEGY GAME (Trainer’s talk)
1. The “Quick Decision-Making” and “Hassle Line” exercises we have done in the last two sessions focus on a particular, isolated program or situation that may be encountered in nonviolent resistance to a coup.
2. A “Strategy Game” is a much broader exercise that allows participants to get a sense of a whole anti-coup campaign over time. It helps participants:
a. To see how a large-scale campaign may develop from beginning to end.
b. To gain information about the consequences of using a particular strategy or set of strategies – what works and what does not.
c. To explore the most realistic and effective strategies and tactics over the course of a campaign in light of how opponents may respond to them.
HOW THE STRATEGY GAME WORKS (Trainer’s talk)
- Explain that, in a Strategy Game, the participants play all the relevant roles that would be played in an actual conflict situation.
- Here, participants will be divided between “Attackers” (the coup plotters), “Defenders” (those resisting the coup), “Onlookers” (those not immediately involved in the conflict but who may be influenced to support or resist the coup), and other relevant parties.
- During the game, the attackers, defenders, onlookers, and others will make “moves” and will have a chance to respond to “moves” made by other players. Each group must pick a leader who will help their team choose a “move” and then announce it to the other teams. The first move must be made within 20 minutes of the start of the game, with subsequent moves every 10 minutes. The attackers begin, but thereafter each group makes its moves simultaneously. If a group has no move to announce, it may say “Pass.”
- A group of 3 “judges” has the following responsibilities and authority:
- To decide whether a proposed move is realistic or not. Anyone participating in the game can question the realism of a move. If a dispute occurs, the judges will decide by majority vote if the proposed move will be allowed or not. Their ruling is final during the game.
- To see that groups only make moves of which they are capable. For example, the attackers cannot say that the defenders mass rally turned into a riot which justified mass arrest by the attackers’ troops. It can say that its people infiltrated the rally with provocateurs to try to provoke a riot.
- The judges also write down each move as it occurs.
- They also make sure that each group makes its “move” within the allotted time span. If they do not, the group loses its turn. (Judges can adjust the time for deliberation if things are moving too quickly or too slowly.)
- Trainers will call for break when they are needed.
- At the end of the game, the trainers will lead a debriefing and discussion of what was learned.
- Note: the game’s structure will make communications and decision-making hurried, fragmented and pressured. This will be frustrating, but it also will add to the reality of the game. Decision-making during an attempted coup will be under similar pressure.
- Are there any question? Is everything clear?
INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETTING UP THE GAME (TRAINER’S TALK)
1. Write the following 6 groups on a piece of newsprint:
a. Attackers
b. Defenders
c. Onlookers
d. Judges
e. Existing government
f. Foreign governments
2. Explain the composition of each group and its goals and strategies as follows:
a. Attackers- This group is made up of the leaders of the coup plot and any groups in the society who might support a coup, e.g., units of the army, navy, air force, police, secret police, dissident politicians, etc. The attackers’ goal is to take governmental power through a successful coup. They can use their supporters in any realistic fashion to try to achieve their goal.
b. Defenders- This group is made up of the leaders of the resistance and organized groups throughout various sectors of society that will join in the resistance. These might include resistance teams in the mass media, transportation system, trade unions, schools and universities, agriculture, religion, military and police, political parties, and groups of intellectuals, artists and sports figure. The defenders strategy involves using every relevant and realistic method of nonviolent struggle.
c. Onlookers- This group is made up of members of the general populace who have not initially committed themselves either to support the coup or fight it. The onlookers’ group includes members of the military and police who have not initially taken sides, and any relevant social sectors. Their goal is to decide whether they should support the coup, join the resistance or try to be neutral.
d. Judges- As described above, they have the authority to decide if a proposed move is realistic or not. Anyone participating in the game can question the realism of a move. If a dispute occurs, the judges will decide by majority vote if the proposed move will be allowed or not. The judges also keep a running, written record of all moves and they make sure that each group makes its move within 10 minutes of the last group’s move. If they fail to do so, the judges can require that they skip their turn.
e. Existing government- This is the legitimate government which the coup is trying to overthrow. It is composed of its leaders and all the various national, regional and local units that make it up. Its goal is to remain in power and not have the coup succeed. Its strategy involves any realistic methods that a government might employ under such circumstances.
f. Foreign governments- this group includes any foreign governments that might have reason to become involved in the struggle over the coup. They are reticent to “intervene in the internal affairs of a sovereign state,” but circumstances may make them feel that they must take a stand. Their goal is to protect their own national interest. If they decide to intervene, their methods might involve, e.g., making statements in support of the existing government (or the coup), withdrawing ambassadors, using diplomacy, economic boycotts, etc.
3. Divide participants into the groups. Allow participants to choose the group they want to be in.
a. Group size: the “judges” group should have three members, the other groups 3 to 6 members. (If there are more than 33 participants in the workshop, the other should be “observers” who will follow the action, take notes, and share their observations during the discussion at the end.
4. Remember to ask each group to name a leader/spokesperson who will announce the group’s moves.
5. When the groups are set up, have named a leader, and are ready to go, announce “Start.” The groups now have 20 minutes before announcing their first strategy.
6. At the end of 20 minutes, ask the attackers to announce their first move. (They might say, “We have arrested the Head of State and are sending sympathetic army units to arrest other top government leaders and occupy their offices. We are also sending messages to all the mass media that they must publish our statement explaining why we had to take his drastic but necessary action to end corruption and malfeasance at the highest levels of government.”)
7. After the attackers make their first move, any other players can ask clarifying questions of the attackers and can make any challenges as to the realism of the move. If there are challenges, the judges decide if the move will be permitted.
8. The defenders and other then have 10 minutes before they must announce their first moves. (The judges do not make moves; they decide if the other groups’ moves can be permitted.) After a full round of moves has been announced, each group has 10 minutes to plan its next move. In subsequent rounds of moves, it is good to rotate groups’ reports first.
9. Once the players have gotten into the game, the judges can adjust the time for moves to provide longer or shorter periods for deliberation. Judges should be sensitive to the players’ needs and the overall time allotted.
10. Negotiations: at any time during the game, groups can request permission from the judges to negotiate with another group. The negotiations can happen without stopping the game or the time-keeping.
11. Role-playing: with the permission of the judges, the moves can be stopped temporarily to permit participants to role play a particular situation. Judges should stop the game for the moment, allow groups time to prepare for and run the role-play, evaluate, and then return to the strategy game at the point where it is stopped.
12. The moves and counter-moves continue until one side has won, the allotted time has run out, the outcome seems determined, the participants are too tired, or the trainers decide that enough issues have been unearthed to have a good discussion. If it is not clear at the end of the game who won, the judges each give their opinion and vote to decide.
13. If the game ends quickly (e.g., the coup wins with a couple of brilliant strokes!), the game can be re-played to try out different, more effective strategies.
14. When the game is completed, the trainers should call a break to let people get out of their roles. Players also may want to assure people with whom they have had heavy conflicts during the game that the feelings are not carried over. Then trainers lead a discussion. Some good questions might be:
a. At what point did your group feel a lot of tension or frustration? What did you do about it? How well did the members of your group work together?
b. What did you learn? What strategies seemed the most/least effective? Why? What could you have done differently? Were some strategies outstanding? Why?
c. Was it hard to find nonviolent strategies/ tactics? What insights did you gain about the power nonviolent struggle to defeat an attempted coup?
