Buddhist Monks Defect from Myanmar’s Military Dictatorship

Time Period: 2007Location: MyanmarMain Actors: Buddhist monks, All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA)Tactics - Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance - Slogans, caricatures, and symbols - Assemblies of protest or support -...

The Egyptian Military Defects During the Arab Spring

Time Period: 2011Location: EgyptMain Actors: The Egyptian MilitaryTactics - Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance - Mutinies by government personnel - Protective Presence Between 1981-2011 Egypt was under the authoritarian rule...

South African Clergy Support Early Defections from Apartheid

Time Period: 1948-1968Location: South AfricaMain Actors: Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (DRC), Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town, Anglican Church of Southern Africa, Christian Institute of Southern Africa, South...

The Chilean Security Sector Defects from the Pinochet Dictatorship

Time Period: 1988Location: ChileMain Actors: Fernando Matthei (Air Force General), Rodolfo Stange (General Director of the Police), José Merino (Navy Admiral)Tactics - Withholding or withdrawal of allegiance - Mutinies by...

Lessons from Around the World: Engaging ‘Pillars of Support’ to Uphold and Expand Democracy

*This article was written by Chief Organizer Maria J. Stephan and was first published on Just Security. Efforts in the United States to build a broad, cross-partisan, and cross-ideological pro-democratic front...

Introducing the Pillars of Support Project

*By Adam Fefer In both the United States and abroad, political leaders have undermined democratic institutions and norms as part of a nearly two-decade global trend of rising authoritarianism. From the...

Business for Democracy: A Call for Courage and Action

*This article was written by Chief Network Weaver Julia Roig. There is ample evidence that democracies around the world are being threatened by authoritarian populist forces, and that the best...

Tunisian Unions Support the Arab Spring

Time Period: 2010-2015Location: TunisiaMain Actors: Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT)Tactics - General strikes - Protective Presence - Assemblies of protest or support Between 1987-2011, Tunisia was an autocracy ruled by...

Brazilian Religious Leaders and Democratic Backsliding

Time Period: 2019-2023Location: Brazil, especially Rio de JaneiroMain Actors: Brazilian Catholic Church, Brazilian Evangelical pastors (e.g., Henrique Vieira) and civil society groups (e.g., Novas)Tactics:  - Declarations by organizations and institutions...

Philippines Armed Forces Resist a Dictatorship

Time Period: 1982-1986Location: The PhilippinesMain Actors: Armed Forces of the Philippines, Reform of the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), Fidel Ramos, Juan Ponce EnrileTactics - Selective refusal of assistance by government...