Washington, D.C.—The International Republican Institute (IRI) issued the following statement in response to news of the death of nonviolent resistance expert and founder of the Albert Einstein Institute Professor Gene Sharp.
“It was with great sadness that IRI learned of the death of Professor Gene Sharp.
“Professor Sharp dedicated his life to advancing new theories of nonviolent resistance, which have been invaluable to the pursuit of peaceful democratic change. From the post-Soviet states to military-ruled Burma, Professor Sharp’s work has changed the world for the better.
“In the 1990s, IRI was privileged to collaborate with Professor Sharp in training democratic activists in Burma on nonviolent methods to achieve political change. His insights formed the basis of IRI trainings and materials that are used to this day. Veterans of IRI’s Burma program recall the tremendous importance his work had for the Burmese democracy movement, and IRI’s Burmese translation of his seminal manual ‘From Dictatorship to Democracy’ continues to be cited as required reading by our partners in the Burmese democracy movement.
“Professor Sharp’s impact on the way in which IRI and other democracy assistance organizations perform their work is undeniable,” said IRI President Daniel Twining. “We join our colleagues in the democracy and governance sector in mourning his loss, and in reemphasizing our commitment to the principles of nonviolent, democratic transformations that he did so much to advance.”
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