Team, we’re about to send Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat this community’s list of questions about defeating autocracy — and we wanted to make sure you had a chance to add yours.

Submit a question to an expert on how to resist and reverse the autocratic playbook.

And keep reading for more information on Professor Ben-Ghiat’s work.

Thank you,

The Fair Fight Action Team

------------------Forwarded Message------------------
From: Lauren Groh-Wargo, Fair Fight Action
Subject: Do you have a question for an expert on tracking and stopping autocracy?

You might not think it’s calming to read about autocracy.

But I’m here to tell you that when I read the work of Ruth Ben-Ghiat — a Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, and an acclaimed expert on authoritarianism and fascism — I feel more settled.

That’s because I feel more prepared for the battles ahead.

For decades, Professor Ben-Ghiat has studied the tools and practices of autocrats. She’s outlined their playbook in rigorous detail. And when we understand the ins and outs of a playbook, we know how to dismantle it. That’s empowering.

So here are a few pieces of recommended reading:

Her book Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (see if your local library has a copy)

A recent Substack essay of hers: “Is America an Autocracy Now?”

And another she wrote: “What Sen. Booker’s Speech Teaches Us About Effective Resistance Strategy.” 

Don’t miss this powerful quote from that last piece: “Authoritarians want us to feel hopeless and helpless. It’s up to us to show them that we will not submit quietly and that we believe in struggle and collective action.”

To inform our collective fight for democracy, the Fair Fight Action team is gathering questions from our community for Professor Ben-Ghiat. And she’ll be able to answer a few in an upcoming email.

Is there something you’d like to ask an expert on tracking and thwarting the plots of would-be dictators? Submit your question for Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat today.

And thank you for being on this team. By joining and fueling our shared fight for free and fair elections, you’ve already exercised one of the forms of solidarity that has defeated autocracy in the past — and that will again in the future.

It’s on us to defend democracy. And this movement is up to the task.

Together,

Lauren Groh-Wargo
CEO, Fair Fight Action