Facebooking for Change
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=39269812130
In 2004, I was one of many students who joined Facebook as a recreational indulgence. It was a fun, late-night activity and a way to satisfy occasional boredom. When I joined the U.S. State Department in the fall of 2006, no one mentioned Facebook or any online social network as a serious means of communication. But by early 2008, that fact had changed.
Oscar Morales, an engineer from Bogota, used Facebook to mobilize 12 million people in 190 cities around the world to protest against a 40-year-old terrorist organization called the FARC, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia. The U.S. State Department was buzzing, and even the few people who were aware of Facebook were surprised that this platform for adding friends and poking crushes could also be used to organize the largest protest against a terrorist organization in the world’s history.
On my end I had to figure something out–was this a game-changing occurrence or an anomaly? I talked to the organizers in Colombia, and two things amazed me: First, they had mastered the tactic of using the digitally connected few as community organizers to mobilize the non-connected masses. Second, their success sent reverberations around the globe as young people from all over the world began contacting them and asking how they did it.
Oscar Morales and his friends validated all of my assumptions. This really was a new wave of civil society in which there were no offices, government grants, or forms that needed to be filled out and filed for the establishment. Instead, we witnessed the advent of a new era in which some of the world’s most effective movements will start in the online space. Already we are seeing this happen around the world includingBurma, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the U.K.. These movements may or may not transform into real-life movements, but the more success stories we see, the more likely it is that best practices will be employed by young people in search of freedom and justice.
We are in the midst of uncertain times, but I am hopeful about the future because young people are using Facebook for change in every corner of the globe. They are building civil society in places never before imaginable, standing up to violent extremism wherever it exists and for the first time, are really aware of their value as a demographic. As a government employee who focuses on youth empowerment and countering violent extremism, all I can say is a big fat thank you to Silicon Valley for creating the most important opening of our time.
Inspired by this phenomenon, Facebook, Access 360 Media, Columbia Law School,Google, Howcast, MTV, YouTube, and the U.S. Department of State are bringing leaders of 17 pioneering organizations from 15 countries together with technology experts next month for the first-ever conclave to empower youth against violence and oppression through the use of the latest online tools. For more information, join us on December 3-5 and see how you can help make even the smallest idea have an impact.
Jared hopes you’ll join us for this historic summit.
Children of Jihad by Jared Cohen – www.ChildrenofJihad.com
Opinion Leaders Comments on Children of Jihad
“Children of Jihad is a very smart, insightful account of a young Jewish-American (and Rhodes Scholar) trying to understand his generation across the line in the Middle East.”
- Tom Brokaw, NBC News
“An enlightening and entertaining story that is part travelogue and part cultural analysis. Gaining insights through simple conversation, Cohen paints a compelling picture of the politically awakened youth of the Middle East.”
- Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor
“This young gutsy writer knows that the East-West struggle is being fought over the cafe tables of the Near and Middle East. Do the youth of the Islamic world dream of an engineering degree from Michigan State or a martyr’s death? This young American has had the moxie to sit and listen for hours at those tables. In the words of the poet, Jared Cohen has taken the road ‘less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.’”
- Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball” and NBC’s “The Chris Matthews Show”
“Jared Cohen has written a unique book. Imagine a young American circulating in the back alleys and cafes of Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Palestinian refugee camps, and Iraq meeting other youth on their terms and asking pointed questions about their aspirations, concerns and attitudes toward their rulers and toward the United States. There are breathtaking descriptions of flirting with danger and fascinating dialogues that provide deep insights into the politics and sociology of four key countries in the Middle East. It is a fascinating read which I recommend to anyone who wants to develop a better understanding of the [Middle East] and Arab world.”
- Frank Carlucci, former Secretary of Defense
“In this remarkable book Cohen provides a fresh perspective on the Middle East. Seen through the eyes of the youth, and poignantly describing their hopes and despairs, Cohen provides a timely commentary on the troubled relations between America and the Middle East. Looking at the habits and passions that binds the youth across the cultural divide as well as the politics that divides them, this book provides much food for thought for Americans and Middle Easterners alike.”
- Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam will Shape the Future
“In this engrossing book, Cohen artfully combines his natural confidence and flair as a writer to produce a revealing look at the youth of Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Iraq. Riveting from start to finish.”
- Kirkus starred review
“Cohen’s accounts are sharp and his intentions admirable.”
- Publishers Weekly
“Astonishing”
- Washington Times
“Children of Jihad” succeeds at breaking down some inaccurate generalizations and replacing them with more accurate generalizations, and it does a good job of humanizing Middle Eastern youth by telling their individual stories”
- Haaretz
“An important book to read”
- Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC “Morning Joe”
“I admire Jared Cohen’s courage, vigor and insight. He has been a wonderful source of information and understanding about Iran, particularly youth attitudes and ideals. His advice is helpful in fostering better relations, better public diplomacy and progress toward greater democratic freedoms and openness in Iran.”
- Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking Member on Senate Foreign Relations Committee
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