#1: The Hidden Battle that Decides Whether Democracy Survives

Last week, I said I’d be writing about how wannabe autocrats use war to stay in power. That’s still coming. But right now, the most important battlefield is the one over information, so I’m going to start there.

Thanks for reading.

— Barbara

The Hidden Battle that Decides Whether Democracy Survives

The fight for power in a democracy begins and ends with who captures the narrative.

This is the autocrat’s game. It’s not about tanks or coups, at least not at first. It’s about shaping what people believe is true. It’s about perception, manipulation, and doubt. If the autocrat can control the story, she can control the people.

This is the game that’s being played in the United States right now.

The Structure of the Game

Autocrats don’t rise through brute force. They rise through strategy. And to understand how they do this, you have to view politics as a game where the most powerful weapon is information.

Think of it this way:

In any declining democracy there are two main players.

On one side is the wannabe autocrat: a politician who decides that staying in power matters more than following the rules. They pretend to respect democratic norms while working behind the scenes to weaken them. Their goal is to shift power away from voters and institutions without triggering mass resistance.

On the other side is the public: ordinary people who want the system to work. Most don’t want upheaval. They want stability. But they also want fairness, accountability, and the ability to choose their leaders without fear.

Each side is trying to gain an edge by signaling that they’re stronger than the other.

The autocrat wants control: of institutions, of public perception, of momentum. They want citizens to give up power voluntarily.

The public is trying to figure out when and how to respond. Speak up now? Wait? Protest? Stay quiet? They're constantly assessing risk: Will I be alone? Will this matter? Could I lose my job? My safety?

This is where the information game becomes critical.

Autocrats don’t just take power. They manufacture the perception of strength to make people believe resistance is pointless. The more confused or uncertain the public is, the more likely they are to wait. And waiting helps the autocrat.

The public, in turn, tries to signal that opposition exists; that people are paying attention, that the line can still hold. But both sides are guessing. The autocrat doesn’t know how many people are willing to resist. The public doesn’t know how far the autocrat is willing to go (or whether courts or law enforcement will stand up when it matters).

What each side believes about the other shapes what they do next. And that’s the game.

Why This Isn’t a Fair Fight

The autocrat has more tools: media access, loyal elites, wealthy donors, and a willingness to lie. They move first - seeding doubt, projecting strength, co-opting institutions - before most people realize what’s happening.

The public has greater numbers. But numbers only matter if people are informed, coordinated, and willing to act. That’s hard to do when the information space is flooded with propaganda, fear, and confusion.

Understanding this asymmetry is key. The autocrat floods the information zone early. She looks stronger than she is. She disorients the public, undermines accountability, and stacks the system with loyalists. And she does it all before people can organize a serious response.

That’s what this series is about: helping people see the game clearly so they can respond with the best possible counter-strategy.

Why This Matters Now

In the United States, Trump is deep in this information game and playing it extraordinarily well. He’s staging rallies to signal strength, repeating false claims until they feel familiar, and discrediting judges, prosecutors, and journalists so that his version of events is the only one his supporters hear.

None of this is random. It’s a coordinated effort to shift public perception so that fewer people resist and more accept his rule as inevitable.

We need to stop treating these as isolated events. They’re all part of the same information playbook. And if people want to protect democracy, they need to understand how the game is being played.

What’s Coming Next

Over the next four weeks, I’ll walk readers through the key moves in this game: how it works, the conditions under which it succeeds and fails, and the most effective ways it’s been resisted in the past.

What’s ahead:

• Next: The autocrat’s strategy to control media and shape perception

• Then: What the public can do to push back

• Then: When weakness is revealed and why timing matters

• And finally: What makes resistance work, and what the data tells us

The game is already underway. The sooner people understand it, the better chance they have to stop it.