Democracies have been in decline, and many scholars are now rightly asking how this process can be halted. Much of the research on democratic resilience—the ability of democracies to prevent or withstand regression—focuses on the systemic properties that make democracies resilient. What this work often overlooks is the perspective of actors: Who actually defends democracy and through which strategies? Even less attention has been paid to normative questions, such as the moral responsibilities of these actors, the obstacles they may face, and the values that inform their actions. When the focus shifts to actors and norms, democratic resilience can be understood more precisely as democratic self-defense. Adopting an actor-centred perspective is important for two reasons. The first is pragmatic: Even though a lot of democratic resilience relies on rules, practices, and institutions, these must be supported, advocated, designed, and introduced by real people. Democratic resilience does not emerge automatically. Democracy does not have the agency to defend itself. Secondly, foregrounding actors is necessary in order to examine the moral responsibilities, value judgments, opportunities, and constraints …