Using force to gain voice: The prospects and limits of using coercive mechanisms to secure deliberative inclusion

Abstract

This thesis analyses the impact of marginalised groups using coercive mechanisms as a strategy for deliberative inclusion. It engages the literature on deliberative democratic theory that makes a case for using non-communicative mechanisms to gain entry to exclusionary deliberative forums. This research explores its limits by examining an “extreme” case where marginalised political agents employed threats of force – the apparent antithesis of deliberation – in an attempt to secure inclusion. The case is that of a military mutiny in the Philippines in 2003, where a group of junior officers took over the central business district to publicly air their demands for reform to the military. This strategy opened up spaces for junior officers who did not have access to channels for grievance articulation to persuade government officials to launch reform programs that addressed their concerns in exchange for their peaceful return to barracks. The case highlights that the manner of gaining access to deliberative forums has an effect on the dynamic of the deliberative process. It is argued that while coercive mechanisms can be constructive in opening deliberative spaces, they also risk limiting the deliberative process and outcomes that secured through coercion.