Barcelona, Spain (March 2025) โ The Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT) is pleased to announce the launch of its latest major research publication, Dialogue with State Security Actors in Hybrid Regimes: Recommendations for Constructive Engagement, co-authored by Alejandro Urrutia and Teddy Baker.
The report is the culmination of extensive multi-year research, including 35 in-depth interviews across 10 country case studies: Burkina Faso, Egypt, Georgia, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Pakistan, Peru, Sudan, and Thailand. The process engaged hundreds of academics, researchers, practitioners, and civic and state security actors, in dozens of countries around the world.
โโโEngaging with state security actors in hybrid regimes is both necessary and challenging,โ said Alejandro Urrutia, IFIT Associate and project lead. โThese actors often hold the key to either democratic transitions or prolonged authoritarianism. Our research highlights practical strategies that civic actors can use to navigate these complex dynamics.โ
Recommendations focus on the importance of building trust through personal relationships, using neutral intermediaries, and developing realistic, incremental goals for engagement. One of the central findings is on the importance of dialogue readiness. โToo often, civic actors find themselves unprepared when a window for engagement opens,โ noted Urrutia. โMapping key security stakeholders, identifying potential allies within the system, and fostering communication channels in advance can make all the difference.โ
Report co-author Teddy Baker noted the significance of the research for practitioners and civil society leaders: “We believe the publication can be a vital resource for anyone working at the intersection of security and democratic transition. It provides not only analysis but actionable recommendations for those seeking to foster more inclusive and sustainable political change.”
The full paper is available for download here, and French and Spanish-language executive summaries are also available.
For speaking engagements and media requests, please contact [email protected].
Below is a short video introduction to the publication.
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