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Here's the reality: Many now traverse a labyrinth of novel choices, calculations, and personal risks. Ours is a time of lists—of “deep state” figures to be prosecuted, media outlets to be exiled, and genders to be outlawed.

12/4/25, 4:09 pm2 reposts24 likes

We analyzed the literature of protest and spoke to foreign dissidents and opposition leaders, movement strategists, domestic activists, and scholars of nonviolent movements. We asked them for their advice.

There's good news: If you are one of the people prepared to take risks in to protect American democracy, there are some proven lessons, operational and spiritual, to be learned from those who have challenged repressive regimes across the world. Here are a few (but lots, lots more in the essay):

First, a baseline step: Know that autocratic leaders can be successfully challenged. @chenoweth.bsky.social has found that when at least 3.5 per cent of the population participated in nonviolent opposition, movements were largely successful.