Introduction

When authoritarians start dismantling democracy, institutions become battlegrounds. We've seen their playbook in action: capture the courts, defund watchdogs, harass journalists, and pressure civil servants to comply or stay silent.

But even as the walls close in, not everything is lost. Volume 7 of the Anti-Authoritarian Toolkit focuses on Institutions and Civic Space—the fights that happen inside the system and the defenders who resist from within.

These plays show how to use the cracks in the regime as points of pressure, disruption, and exposure—from challenging executive orders in court and exposing stolen wealth to protecting truth-tellers and coordinating civic-political alliances. Each play helps throw regimes off balance and keep democratic forces active, visible, and connected.

We can still work with what remains democratic in the system: a semi-independent court, a newsroom under pressure, a handful of brave officials, or a civil society network that hasn't yet been broken. Even in compromised environments, there are still ways to push back.