On Feb. 24, The Dialog hosted a webinar titled, “What Americans can learn from other nonviolent civil activism movements.”
Government editor and common supervisor Beth Daley interviewed John Shattuck, professor of observe at The Fletcher College of Legislation and International relations at Tufts College, and Oliver Kaplan, affiliate professor at Josef Korbel College of International and Public Affairs on the College of Denver and a visiting pupil at Stanford College.
Shattuck is the previous president of Central Eu College in Hungary, the place he defended instructional freedom in opposition to a emerging authoritarian govt. Kaplan is the creator of “Resisting War: How Communities Protect Themselves.” This interview has been condensed and edited for print.
Beth Daley: What’s an authoritarian regime, and what are their traits?
John Shattuck: The authoritarian, incessantly known as a “king,” is the best position from the perspective of the king, however not at all from the perspective of the folk. Authoritarian traits come with centralized limitless energy, the other of democracy; no duty and no rule of regulation; no impartial courts; no exams and balances on how the king operates; rule by means of worry and coercion, and when essential, as a way to perform the king’s orders, rule by means of by means of pressure. There aren’t any particular person rights or civil liberties with the exception of the ones the king comes to a decision to permit those that are dependable to him to have, no less than till he comes to a decision to take them away.
John Shattuck defines authoritarian regimes in a valid chew from The Dialog’s webinar on nonviolent civil actions.
That’s a nutshell casual description of an authoritarian regime. A unique risk nowadays is that an authoritarian can emerge from a democratic election, and, certainly, a democratic election can be utilized to show a susceptible democracy into an authoritarian regime. But if this occurs, it opens the door to problem the authoritarian in a next election if civic activism can protect the electoral procedure through which the authoritarian was once elected.
BD: What are we seeing and no longer seeing within the U.S. that different nations have long gone thru in the case of authoritarian govt?
Oliver Kaplan: I believe we’re heading towards an autocracy, if no longer there already. Of their 2026 document, the Types of Democracy Challenge writes that the U.S. is not a liberal democracy and is transferring into “competitive authoritarianism,” marked by means of government overreach and erosion of judicial and legislative exams. The document notes that U.S. democracy is being dismantled at a velocity this is “unprecedented in modern history.”
We’re seeing shifts in the case of focus of energy to the manager department and a fail to remember of the guideline of regulation, such things as ignoring courtroom orders and issue with keeping the manager department responsible. We also are seeing the militarization of regulation enforcement, tracking of U.S. electorate, and what some check with as the twin state – that the state is operating for some other folks whilst inflicting extra demanding situations for or oppressing people.
Some of the issues we’re no longer seeing at complete pressure but is a whole shutdown of civic area. We’re in a position to carry this sort of dialog, and persons are nonetheless in a position to discussion and move out in the street. There are some efforts at curbing unfastened speech, and I believe there’s some self-censorship most likely taking place. However there’s nonetheless this open area and a strong mass motion rising on this nation.
BD: John, you have been at the entrance traces, specifically in Hungary as the pinnacle of Central Eu College. What did you notice there that has parallels nowadays to the U.S.?
JS: There’s without a doubt a parallel between Hungary and the U.S., despite the fact that the nations are very other in measurement, historical past and background. What I noticed in Hungary once I changed into president of Central Eu College in 2009 was once a susceptible, new democracy that was once best established in 1990 after 70 years of fascism and communism.
I used to be in Hungary from 2009 to 2016 and, in spite of the variations, I may start to see some parallels. Many of us had grievances in Hungary about how their financial system was once running, specifically after the worldwide monetary disaster that affected Hungary greater than some other Jap Eu nation. Then there was once an urban-rural divide, the city elite as opposed to the agricultural majority within the nation.
Hungary’s Top Minister Viktor Orban speaks at a press convention.
Janos Kummer/Stringer by means of Getty Pictures Information
Alongside got here a cynical populist-nationalist flesh presser, Viktor Orbán. Orban began manipulating those grievances, and did as a way to considerably divide Hungarian society. He attacked most of the establishments of democracy, which have been increasingly more unpopular on account of other folks’s grievances. He went after elites, and foreigners, and migrants, and the media. And he blamed they all for the rustic’s issues. He then was once in a position to trip those grievances into place of work.
As soon as in place of work, Orban amended the charter and regulations in the case of the parliament. He undermined the independence of the media and the judiciary with the intention to centralize energy. All of this came about whilst I used to be working a world college in Budapest, which remained impartial as it won no investment from the Hungarian govt. We have been in a position to withstand the increasingly more authoritarian regime over problems of educational freedom. The federal government attempted to close down our techniques of migration research and gender research, and attempted to censor facets of our historical past division.
Those authoritarian assaults are very similar to what we’ve noticed taking place within the U.S., and actually, Viktor Orban was once very much admired by means of Donald Trump, and a large number of the playbook that Orban has adopted was once reflected in Challenge 2025 within the U.S. below Trump.
BD: How do communities reply in numerous tactics to authoritarian regimes?
OK: Professional-democracy actions and coverage forms of actions on the native stage incessantly co-occur. As an example, in Colombia there were more than a few leftist actions and political events that experience driven for higher democratic opening whilst communities mobilize to stay other folks protected and assist them deal with repressive prerequisites. In puts like Chile, El Salvador and Guatemala, communities constructed accept as true with and strengthen networks to supply support, reminiscent of for individuals who wanted meals help. This offers area to independently perform and keep the neighborhood.
The U.S. has parallels, reminiscent of innovating early caution networks to get advance realize of dangers and threats, by means of speaking the use of the Sign app. Within the Democratic Republic of Congo, villages arrange radio networks, and in Ukraine they have got subtle early caution networks to get phrase of airstrikes and drone assaults.
Reality-finding and countering stigma are essential, and within the U.S. we’re seeing that within the type of the video recording and publicizing of destructive movements. This has performed out in a similar way in Syria with fact-finding to offer protection to nongovernment organizations.
There’s additionally accompaniment the place out of doors actors are available in to supply strengthen to communities. World wide, church organizations play essential accompaniment roles. We’re seeing clergy within the U.S. step up and talk over with puts which are in peril.
Anti-ICE protestors in Minneapolis constructed a barricade to watch federal regulation enforcement cars touring throughout the community.
Superstar Tribune by means of Getty Pictures
After which, there are protests, probably the most visual more or less motion. In Minnesota, we’ve noticed communities in truth putting in neighborhood barricades, which has additionally came about in Mexico, Colombia and Northern Eire. Speaking the nonviolent nature of those actions is essential to steer clear of any pretext for added crackdowns.
I believe American citizens had been taking identical movements to puts all over the world partly as a result of there are some identical background prerequisites: repression and robust social capital networks. The ones two issues come in combination to provide those methods.
BD: May you discuss extra concerning the want to construct a transparent narrative and a favorable one?
JS: There are two elementary regulations for the way to withstand authoritarianism that I’ve realized from revel in: Construct a various coalition and expand a unifying theme. You wish to have a various coalition as a way to attraction to a large vary of the general public, and as a way to do this, you wish to have settlement at the purpose and values of what you’re seeking to accomplish. You wish to have a transparent and unifying narrative. The narrative incessantly comes to financial problems and problems with corruption, since there’s incessantly quite a lot of corruption in authoritarian regimes.
Hungary may have its subsequent parliamentary election in April by which Orban will search his 5th time period as top minister. The opposition has evolved a large coalition and a unifying theme, whilst Orban is the use of the centralized tools of presidency and media that he controls to check out to control public opinion. The opposition coalition is headed by means of Peter Magyar, who was once as soon as a significant supporter of Orban’s govt. Magyar’s identify may also be magical in Hungary – kind of like a “Joe America” within the U.S.
With Magyar as its head, the opposition is aiming to peel off supporters of the regime. It’s campaigning on financial grounds, with a favorable message and on reasonable phrases. And most significantly, it comprises events from the left, proper and middle.
Feb. 26, 2026, webinar led by means of The Dialog U.S. government editor Beth Daley, analyzing what we will be told from different nonviolent civil resistance actions.
Poland has succeeded in doing what the Hungarian opposition is trying. It controlled to vote out an authoritarian govt by means of striking in combination a large coalition to protect the independence of the Polish judiciary. That changed into a coalition to elect parliamentarians in 2023, and that succeeded in converting the federal government.
BD: How essential is the preexisting social material of a neighborhood to the good fortune of a protest motion?
JS: It’s essential, however difficult. Hungary had an overly susceptible civil society after 70 years of totalitarian fascism and communism. When I used to be there, the very phrase to “volunteer,” which we recall to mind because the essence of neighborhood motion and repair, was once noticed to be a foul phrase in Hungarian as it was once carefully related to taking part with the regime.
Within the U.S., we’re the other in a way, despite the fact that the U.S. is now slipping in this. We have now an extended historical past of volunteerism, we’ve got most of these civil society organizations, we’ve got a practice of barn elevating, other folks getting in conjunction with their neighbors and doing issues of their communities. That is very a lot part of the American spirit and a core price.
However nowadays, I’d say a mix of consumerism and financial individualism popping out of many years of financial deregulation has brought about our civil society to fray. However the authoritarian problem that we are facing now, and the way in which by which we’re starting to reply to it, is actually bringing communities again in combination once more. I believe what came about in Minneapolis is an instance of that. And this may increasingly mirror a rising capability to withstand an authoritarian regime.
