From Dictatorship To Democracy: A Conceptual Fr... Apr 2026

: Systematically withdraw cooperation until the regime’s administrative and coercive tools no longer function.

: Acknowledge that external aid or negotiations rarely work, as tyrants use them to stall or maintain power . From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Fr...

Sharp argues that all power is conditional on the cooperation of the governed. A dictatorship only stands as long as its Pillars of Support —institutions like the military, media, and civil service—remain loyal. Resistance aims to erode this support until the regime collapses. Strategic Categories of Action involving the withdrawal of social

: The most powerful tool, involving the withdrawal of social, economic, and political support through selective strikes, revenue refusal, and withdrawal of bank deposits . and political support through selective strikes