Collaborative Power Can Save a Life

                            Anne- Marie Slaughter defines collaborative power as the power of many to do together what no one can do alone. In her article, she cites how American blogger and columnist Mona Eltahawy tweeted a plea for help to her more than 60,000 followers after she had been beaten and arrested in Cairo. Her tweet sparked an international movement and the #FreeMona  hashtag was seen by millions of users.  Hours later, the State Department had been contacted and Mona was released. An ongoing debate has surfaced regarding whether or not Twitter was responsible for her release.  Collaborative power would argue that twitter alone did not free Mona, but her networks and spheres of influence played a huge role. Twitter only served as the catalyst that organized and energized the movement.  Mona Eltahawy was not your typical twitter user with hundreds of followers.  She in fact had thousands of followers who were well connected and could collaborate to effectuate change instantaneously. Her direct and indirect networks consisted of the State Department, international bloggers, policy leaders and a host of other journalists. If a different person would have tweeted the same message, it may have not produced such an effective response.  

                           This case speaks directly to Slaughter’s point regarding mobilization. Collaborative power is activated by a call to action and not a command.  In contrast to soft power, which deals more specifically with control over others through threat and command, collaborative power views influence as being shared.  While calling for democratic institutions and universal values, soft power seeks to coerce to action through seduction. Through collaborative power, as seen in the Mona Eltahawy example, mobilization was not at all about seducing those in authority to release her, but more about a group of people with a shared interest to demand justice. This is a prime example that political power does not depend on how well a group can coerce or control another.  Political influence is about how well a group can organize and be on the same accord. Collaborative power is based on networks, information and the ability to capitalize on connections and resources.