What does non-violence mean to you? And what is the likely impact of non-violent civil resistance in countries experiencing complex conflicts?

Political violence is the recourse to force to achieve political or religious objectives and to change the beliefs, opinions or behaviour of people in the public sphere. There is another type of political violence − that is certainly hard to condemn, but which I do not recommend – it is the use of force as a means of resistance to an occupier.

I am convinced that non-violence is the most effective way to combat tyranny and find a way out of complex conflicts. It is always possible to resort to it. But that demands faith, courage and the capacity for self-sacrifice. In the end, change is achieved at a lower cost, and its effects are more powerful and more effective. Those who choose violence to change things do not always get what they want.