Javier Corrales (@jcorrales2011) / X

Javier Corrales

3,816 posts

Javier Corrales

@jcorrales2011

Comparative Politics: I've been studying Latin America and the Caribbean for decades, and the region still manages to shock me.

Joined August 2011

Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
All my life I have studied democratization and autocratization. My 1st field trip was to newly democratic Argentina. I then added autocracies to my portfolio: Cuba, Ven, etc. I think I can recognize the stages of transition to authoritarianism. Here are the boxes checked off.
3.4M
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
2. Ruling party acts like a rubber stamp. They like his policies and/or fear his retribution. Either way, they never say never.
How Each Senator Has Voted on Trump’s Nominees So Far (Published 2025)
From nytimes.com
233K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
1. President thinks he is saving the country.
Trump Suggests No Laws Are Broken if He’s ‘Saving His Country’ (Published 2025)
From nytimes.com
287K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
4. Colonize the federal bureaucracy. Fire the staff. Replace them loyalists.
Which agencies have been hit by federal layoffs? What to know about NPS, NIH, IRS, more
From usatoday.com
201K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
3. Overuse of executive orders, including declaring national emergencies.
Trump's 2025 Executive Orders | Holland & Knight
From hklaw.com
214K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
5. Defund institutions as a way to force compliance.
Trump's Attempt to Unilaterally Control State and Local Funding Is Dangerous, Dumb, and Undemocra...
From aclu.org
205K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
7. Mobilize hate across society. Encourage people to develop intense hate of some out-group (illegal immigrants, trans folks, ethnic minorities, Hollywood celebrities, elite colleges, dissenters).
Trump blames Democrats, DEI for deadly plane crash without evidence
From cbsnews.com
347K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
6. Trash-talk institutions that the govt dislikes. Treat them as guilty actors and harming agents, without conducting reviews or involving court procedures. Justify their purges as efforts to save taxpayers' money
At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep
From whitehouse.gov
190K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
8. Replace the rule of law with autocratic legalism, which means: for my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law. Autocratic legalism requires you to end the independence of the justice department
As Trump shakes Justice Department, deeply conservative prosecutors head for exits
From reuters.com
175K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
9. Harass the free press. Create a hierarchy: good press (treat me kindly), full access; bad press, no access. Entangle news organization in legal battles
Trump White House escalates feud with AP, threatens to bar reporters from Air Force One
From politico.com
162K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
11. Defy the courts. Make sure you have a conflict with the court, so that you can counterattack them en bloc
Opinion | This Is What the Courts Can Do if Trump Defies Them (Published 2025)
From nytimes.com
183K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Feb 16, 2025
Replying to @jcorrales2011
10. Create information blackouts.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Donald Trump is plunging government websites into darkness, with profound consequences for American...
These erasures will make it easier for the administration to repress certain groups, and harder for campaigns and journalists to hold it to account.
165K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Aug 1, 2024
Why should the world focus on Venezuela? What the opposition has demonstrated is historic, with implications for the future of liberty in the world. Let me explain. Thread
292K
Javier Corrales
@jcorrales2011
Aug 1, 2024
Ahora en español: ¿Por qué debe el mundo prestarle atención a Venezuela? Lo que demostró la oposición es histórico, con consecuencias para el futuro de la libertad en el mundo. Lo explico. 🧵
171K