5. economic or environmental strains: societies facing severe economic downturns, resource shortages, or environmental disasters may see intensified targeting of ideological dissidents. in such scenarios, those advocating for systemic change might be scapegoated for unrest or portrayed as undermining efforts to stabilize the system. 6. global shifts in power: in times of geopolitical shifts, states may clamp down on internal dissent to project stability and strength externally. when global power structures change, domestic control over ideological opposition becomes more urgent to maintain legitimacy and avoid external pressures or interventions. in many societies, the targeting of ideological dissidents is already happening through covert meanssurveillance, infiltration, and manipulationrather than overt repression. as these trends intensify, dissidents could face more aggressive forms of suppression, including digital erasure, misinformation campaigns, legal prosecution, and even violence, especially if they are seen as seriously threatening entrenched power structures.
United States