How to Fight Authoritarianism by Understanding Its Support Systems

The Horizons Project explains how authoritarian leaders stay in power through support from key groups called 'pillars.' These pillars include businesses, faith communities, professional groups, labor unions, and veterans' groups. The organization uses research to understand how these groups provide resources and legitimacy to authoritarian systems. By identifying these support systems, pro-democracy organizers can develop better strategies to protect democracy. The framework helps activists understand that power flows upward through specific institutions, and by targeting these institutions, movements can weaken authoritarian control. Horizons provides tools, research, and case studies from around the world to help people take effective pro-democracy action. Their work focuses on building diverse coalitions that can strategically challenge threats to democratic institutions and norms.

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VoiceDaedalus Journal: War and American Democracy ResearchDaedalus is a scholarly journal published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences that explores big questions about society. Their Fall 2025 issue examines how wars have shaped American democracy over time. The journal features essays by university professors and experts who study topics like how war has given more power to the president, how the Supreme Court handles security issues, and how war appears in movies and TV shows. Daedalus covers many subjects including democracy, justice, global affairs, and social health. Past issues have looked at changing rules of war, the common good in democracy, Indigenous knowledge, and immigration and race in America. This is an academic publication meant for scholars, researchers, and people who want to deeply understand complex social and political issues. Readers can browse current and past issues online, sign up for alerts about new publications, and donate to support the Academy's work.

VoiceLeadership Houston: Training Leaders to Make Houston BetterLeadership Houston is a special program that has been training community leaders since 1982. It brings together professionals from all kinds of jobs and backgrounds to learn about Houston's biggest challenges and how to solve them. The program lasts 10 months and covers important topics like healthcare, education, energy, fairness, and public safety. Participants meet with city decision-makers and build friendships across different industries and viewpoints. The goal is to create leaders who know more about their city and want to take action to help. Over 2,000 people have graduated from this program and continue working together on projects that make Houston stronger, more welcoming, and better prepared for challenges. Leadership Houston also offers community projects where groups work on real problems, leadership events that bring people together to discuss urgent issues, and ways for graduates to stay connected. The program focuses on bringing different people together, understanding how systems work, telling powerful stories, building community, and having respectful conversations even when people disagree. This helps create the kind of informed, connected leadership that can make real change happen in Houston.