In the spring of 1994 the South African elections were expected to involved a high degree of violence. This form differs from interposition in that the third party teammates do not physically place themselves directly between the fighters, but use other behaviors, like active listening, to embody values of decency and respect. These differences have major implications for mainstreaming peace teams. Social change campaigns characteristically start with individuals and small groups on the margins of society. They start with consciousness-raising and research, developing the set of new ideas and facts which will frame the debate when the center of society starts taking them seriously.
Social defense is substantially different.
Instead of starting in the valley and struggling to reach the top, social defense starts at the top, supported by key parts of the society's leadership and some major social values. The Northeast Thai farmers who are defending their land send their village heads to a workshop on nonviolent strategy. It is the Clan Mothers who organize the Mohawk barricades against the expansion of the golf course. Greenpeace has for years been overwhelmingly the largest international nonviolent action organization because mainstream values more easily support defense of whales and seal pups. And governments put far more money than pacifists do into research on civilian based defense.