CANVAS (Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies), was founded in 2003 in Serbia by Srdja Popovic and Slobodan Djinovic. It came out of an organization called 'OTPOR!' (Отпор in Serbian cyrillic, Serbian for 'resistance'), a student group founded in 1998 to oppose the Serbian government under Milošević [1]. OTPOR! became a leading group during the overthrow of Milošević in 2000, and then became an NGO to pressure the subsequent government to align with Western interests. In 2003 they became a political party but after failing to find political success they merged with the Democratic Party and Popovic and Marovic founded CANVAS, to promote counterrevolution throughout the world. CANVAS was instrumental in the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan, and some Arab Spring movements [1]. CANVAS draws much of its methodology from the work of Gene Sharp, who created the Albert Einstein Institute, a similar tool of counterrevolution. Sharp's work, funded by all the usual US government actors, was influential in many of the color revolutions and other imperialist projects framed as 'pro-democracy struggles'.
CANVAS Funding and Partners
According to a Stratfor analyst, "US AID is involved closely", and the funding is likely similar to that of OTPOR!, which "was funded by Freedom House, the International Republican Institute, National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society Institute, USAID and the United States Institute of Peace, among others" [2]. CANVAS lists their 'friends' on their website, including a multitude of US funded imperialist tools, some of which I'll cover briefly. The Gene Sharp-founded Albert Einstein Institution works on similar methods of counterrevolution, and was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, the International Republican Institute, the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the United States Institute for Peace, among others [3]. Those are all US government or government adjacent NGOs, and the funding was used to promote counterrevolution in a variety of countries. IREX is a self-described leader in "strengthening independent media and empowering youth through education and leadership development" [4]. They are most present in Asia, and work to propagandize and develop reactionary cadres of young people. Their donors is a veritable who's who of agents of US empire, including the Ford Foundation, the State Department, Radio Free Asia, Open Societies Foundation, USAID, and the World Bank [5]. BAM (Build A Movement) is an organization which trains and provides secure communication for 'activists', in countries including Venezuela, Syria, and Cambodia [6]. They promote CANVAS material on their website and their leadership is primarily Slobodan Djinovic, a founder and leader of CANVAS, and Raphaël Mimoun, who interned for CANVAS in 2013 [7, 8].
Methods and Purpose of CANVAS
CANVAS offers literature and training to spread their methods of attack on anti-imperialist governments, and they help organizations form networks and build movements, forming their own network in over 50 countries [1]. They focus on college students and young people, and argue for non-violent resistance "not for ideological reasons... but because non-violence actually works better than violence" [9]. Their 'core curriculum' is written like a college textbook to appeal to their primary target, and outlines their basic methods [10]. The basics of this text are outlined below, and the numbers correspond to chapter numbers, useful for reference later:
- A 'Vision for Tomorrow': A concrete goal for society after counterrevolution, taking into account various social groups and listening to people's needs.
- Understand the sources of political power: They describe six sources of power: authority, human resources, skills and knowledge, material resources, intangible factors, and sanctions. They teach 'activists' to identify the sources of power they can gain, and to convince people that the current system is not immovable, and that the government derives its power from the complacency of the people.
- 'Pillars of Support': These are social institutions which support the government or the counterrevolutionaries. CANVAS teaches 'activists' to try to steal pillars of support from the government.
- Obedience: CANVAS identifies ten reasons people are obedient to a government: habit, self-interest, fear of sanctions, indifference, absence of self-confidence, moral obligation, super-human factors, helplessness/hopelessness, and majority doing it. Through understanding why people obey the government, counterrevolutionaries can attempt to shift that obedience.
- Mechanisms of change in non-violent action: CANVAS identifies four methods of change: conversion (shifting people's loyalties), accommodation (creating situations where the opponent will compromise), coercion (forcing change), and disintegration (where the entire power structure collapses). They indicate the most useful approach is often to convert lower level people, accommodate the middle ranks, and coerce the leadership, but note that this varies.
- Methods of change in non-violent action: CANVAS lists three primary methods: protest/persuasion, non-cooperation, and intervention (parallel power building and shutting down institutions). They recommend analyzing the situation and choosing targets and participants to maximize the impact of the action, setting achievable goals and promoting unity to prevent being discredited to moderates.
- Strategy and principles: CANVAS identifies three methods for strategy: unity, deliberate planning, and non-violent discipline, used maintain popular support and keep tight ranks.
- Power graph: a way to map the changing loyalties of the sources of power outlined in point 2.
- Impacting audiences/communicating messages: CANVAS emphasizes crafting the message to the target and then changing it based on feedback. One of the targets they focus on is 'international target audiences' including "NGOs, foreign media, [and] governments" to "support and promote your vision of tomorrow".
- Communication tools and types/categories of targeted communication: this section focuses on choosing the right type of communication, and mentions 'black' targeted communication, where the message appears to come from another source, to pin it on the enemy.
- Leadership: CANVAS identifies seven principles of leadership: personal example, know the people, proficiency in carrying out responsibilities, accept responsibility, give others credit for success, learn from experience, and delegate. They warn that too much democracy in a movement may give way to division.
- Dilemma actions: these are situations where the opponent is forced into a difficult decision. CANVAS identifies four steps in creating these situations: determine policies which restrict the population, identify policies that run counter to popular beliefs, and create an action which will force the government to either back down on the policy or appear repressive to the masses, and then to exploit either reaction by heavily propagandizing it.
- Fear/overcoming the effects of fear: this section primarily covers the fear of repression, and encourages activists to either avoid high-risk confrontation or have leadership which will remain calm and give others confidence in those situation. It also includes psychological techniques to calm supporters, including humor, breathing, and prayer.
- Contaminants and security culture: six contaminants that may damage movements are identified: violence, foreign nationals, actions outside the strategic plan, exclusionary policies, excessive secrecy, and poor organizational structure. CANVAS teaches to assume enemy infiltration, that changing routines calls attention to yourself, and to teach security culture in your movement.
- Plan format: in this section five elements of plan format are outlined: situation analysis, mission statement, execution, mission statement, administration/logistics, and coordination/communication.
These methods are highly effective, and many have often been used historically by socialist movements, but are being used by CANVAS to promote reaction. The recent move by Juan Guaidó to return illegally to Venezuela perfectly demonstrates point 12, the 'dilemma situation'. He puts the government in a lose lose situation: arrest him and he'll label them repressive, don't arrest him and that's proof that they have no control or popular legitimacy. The prominence of the Venezuelan Student Movement in opposition organizing and the use of CANVAS tactics shows that CANVAS has had a major role in the development of the situation in Venezuela.
Juan Guaidó, Trainee of CANVAS?
Popovic denies Guaidó's involvement in CANVAS, claiming "He was not with me in Belgrade for training". However, Popovic calls Guaidó "a friend", stating that "many representatives of the Venezuelan democratic movement are my friends, that we have known each other for years and have talked countless times about the political situation in this beautiful but unhappy country" [11]. Popovic's main role in these regime change operations is as a trainer for 'activists', and he says that "I would do everything in my power to help him [Guaidó] to fight against the regime" [11]. According to Stratfor analysts, who were in direct contact with CANVAS, on October 5, 2005, "five [emphasis mine] student leaders from Venezuela arrived in Belgrade for training" [12]. The only sources I can find on this training list four of those students: Ronel Galo, Geraldine Alvarez, Rodrigo Diamanti and Eliza Totaro [13]. This means that one of the students trained has not been named publicly, and it would certainly make sense if that student was Guaidó, protecting his identity since he was chosen as a future leader. Even in 2010, CANVAS was trying to keep their involvement in Venezuela secret according to Stratfor emails, as they told employees not to make the information passed on public [14]. Regardless of whether Guaidó himself was trained by CANVAS (and I see no reason to take Popovic at his word when other sources disagree [15, 16]), some of his cadre certainly was, and they've used methods which CANVAS teaches.
Sources:
[1] About Us - CANVAS
[2] Stratfor: Re: Guidance: Exxon and Venezuela
[3] The Albert Einstein Institute: Report on Activities 1993-1999
[4] About Us - IREX
[5] Our Supporters - IREX
[6] About BAM - Build a Movement
[7] BAM 2016 Tax Form 990-EZ
[8] LinkedIn - Raphaël Mimoun
[9] Blueprint for Revolution - Canvas
[10] CANVAS - Core Curriculum
[11] Balkan Insight: 'Serbian Activist Denies ‘Training’ Venezuela’s Guaido [sic] in Rebellion'
[12] Stratfor: Information on CANVAS
[13] B92: Anti-Chavez Venezuelan Students in Belgrade
[14] Stratfor: Re:DIARY FOR COMMENT
[15] Mint Press: The Making of Juan Guaido
[16] Con el Mazo Dando: Opinión: ¿Hasta cuándo creer que Guaidó existe?
