Maintaining Civic Space in Backsliding Regimes
Source: USAID | Year: 2017
Backsliding toward authoritarianism entails threats to the rights and physical security of members of the political opposition and some civil society groups. Newfound strictures on the freedom of assembly, organization, and speech often accompany efforts by an incumbent to strengthen the executive branch at the expense of the judiciary and legislature. Rather than acquiescing, some civil society actors attempt to fight back against this threatened closure of civic space and freedom. Civil society actors in these backsliding contexts walk a fine line between providing space for effective resistance and becoming a target of repression. Thus, they are threatened in several ways: being seen as too directly hostile to a regime, as too close to a regime, or as compromised by international support or agendas.
This essay describes a series of strategies that civil society actors have used to fight back when a previously open civic space begins to shrink due to restrictive legislation, repression of dissent, and/or political violence. It also discusses the risks and downsides of each strategy.
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