Internet Freedom A Foreign Policy Imperative in the Digital Age

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J U N E 2 0 1 1Internet FreedomA Foreign Policy Imperative in the Digital AgeThe Role of the Internet in Political Movements: A Brief History20 |By Jacqueline Koo,Joseph S. Nye, Jr. InternThe 2009 Green Revolution in Iranand the 2011 Arab Spring representedwatershed events for manyforeign policy makers who are onlybeginning to grapple with issuessurrounding Internet freedom.Yet using new communicationstechnologies as a tool for politicaltransformation began over adecade ago. Numerous examplesdemonstrate how Internet andmobile phone technology can beused to facilitate protests and evenrevolution in countries around theworld. Some succeeded in bringingabout change, while others did not.In January 2001, while PhilippinePresident Joseph Estrada was ontrial for impeachment, thousandsof Filipinos protested the unwillingnessof loyalist senators to presentthe evidence against him. Theprotests were partly organizedby text messaging – some sevenmillion messages were sent duringthe week of the trial – whichhelped assemble over one millionprotesters at a major crossroad inManila. Startled by the protests, thesenators reversed the decision andreleased the evidence, resulting inEstrada’s impeachment. 69In fall 2004, a series of popularuprisings that became knownas the Orange Revolution inUkraine were largely shaped bypro-democracy activists using theInternet to protest a fraudulentpresidential election. Social activistsused the Internet and textmessaging on mobile phones asplatforms for uncensored politicaldialogue and as a way to organizeprotests. The activists also setup election-monitoring trainingthrough pro-democracy websites,which was pivotal in helping collectevidence of the fraudulent election.70 The street protests forced anew election that brought ViktorYushchenko, a democratic reformer,to power. 71In February 2005, the assassinationof former Lebanese Prime MinisterRafik Hariri sparked a series ofanti-Syrian demonstrations, knowncollectively as the Cedar Revolution,that were reportedly organizedvia text messages and emails. Thedemonstrators used cellphonesequipped with digital cameras totake on-the-ground pictures, whichwere then sent to news organizationsand friends who uploadedthem to websites in order to showwhat was happening to the rest ofthe world. 72 The demonstrationsultimately led to the withdrawal ofall Syrian troops from Lebanon.In February 2008, an unemployedengineer began a campaign viaFacebook, “One Million VoicesAgainst FARC,” to marshal millionsof protestors opposed to theviolent tactics of the ColombianRevolutionary Armed Forces’(FARC) and its holding of some 700hostages. The organizers utilizedemail, Google Docs, instant messagingsystems and Skype tocommunicate with other organizersin other cities and with members ofthe Colombian diaspora abroad, 73resulting in simultaneous demonstrationsin 27 Columbian cities and104 cities around the world. 74 TheFARC has been weakened, largelythrough Colombian governmentoperations, but remains the hemisphere’slargest insurgent group.In April 2008, young Egyptianactivists protested to support alabor strike in an industrial town.The campaign was organized viaFacebook and was called the “April 6Youth Movement,” after the day thatthe labor strike was held. In spring2008, the Facebook group boastedover 100,000 members. The protestitself was quickly contained bysecurity forces, which dampened theoverall enthusiasm of the movementamong its members. 75 Nevertheless,the online forum retained a membershipof over 70,000 youth byJanuary 2009, most of whom werenot politically involved before joiningthe movement, and facilitatedheated political dialogue among itsmembers.In April 2009, anti-communist activistsin Moldova protested allegedlyfraudulent parliamentary electionsin which the Party of Communistswon a majority of seats. The activistsorganized protests through avariety of social media platforms,including Twitter, LiveJournal (apopular eastern European socialnetworking site) and Facebook.Demonstrators reportedly organizedflash mobs – large, briefdemonstrations assembled suddenlyin a public space – by textmessage. 76 In response to the weeklongprotests, President Vladimir
J U N E 2 0 1 1Internet FreedomA Foreign Policy Imperative in the Digital AgeThe Promise and Perils of the InternetMoldovaMoldovan activists organized protestsand flash mobs in part through socialmedia platforms to denounce April2009 parliamentary election results,alleging fraud against the Party ofCommunists.CubaInternet activity in Cuba – whereless than 13 percent of the populationhad access in 2009 – has beenseverely stifled due to governmentmonitoring and steep penalties foronline dissent, resulting in a culture ofself-censorship among users.ColombiaIn February 2008, an unemployed engineer’sFacebook campaign, “One MillionVoices Against FARC,” marshaled millionsof demonstrators in 27 Colombiancities and 104 cities around the world inopposition to kidnappings and violencecarried out by the Colombian RevolutionaryArmed Forces (FARC).Tunisia and EgyptThe December 2010 “Jasmine Revolution”in Tunisia and the January 2011revolution in Egypt witnessed activistsemploying Facebook and other socialmedia platforms to organize demonstrationsagainst authoritarian rule.21 |
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