Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Students enrolled in our course are encouraged to write for the course blog, and to read and comment on posts from students at other participating universities. The blog offers students the opportunity to analyze current events through the lens of the theory and case studies they engage with through the course.

These blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Donald Trump’s NSPM-7 Follows Domestic and International Trends In Stealth Authoritarian Power Grabs

President Donald Trump’s recent National Security Memorandum dramatically expands his ability to persecute political enemies, following a trend of erosion of democratic rule that mirrors other developments in U.S politics directed by the president and his supporters.

How Bosnia’s Postwar Framework Made Dodik Inevitable

Nearly thirty years after Dayton, Bosnia’s power-sharing system continues to institutionalize the very divisions it promised to resolve.

The Trump Administration’s Recent Attacks on First Amendment Rights May Mirror Viktor Orban’s Autocratic Ruling Style

Similarities between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban’s populist leadership styles may have dangerous ramifications for the health of the United States’ democracy.

Hungary’s Legal Coup: How Viktor Orbán is Rewriting Democracy in Slow Motion

Oct 31, 2025 | University of Georgia

Hungary's erosion of democracy is occurring in courts, parliament and the wording of new laws, not in protests and demonstrations. Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party has been...

The Fragility of Federal Agencies: Why the National Institutes of Health Is at Risk

Oct 31, 2025 | University of Georgia

“Make America Healthy Again,” a take on the 2020 and 2024 campaign slogan of President Donald Trump, has recently released a strategy titled “Make Our Children Healthy...

Replacing Ballots with Bullets: How Shadow Operations are Crippling Democracy in Africa

Oct 31, 2025 | University of Georgia

Private military companies (PMCs) have long blurred the line between state power and profit, but few have done so as effectively—or destructively—as the Wagner Group. Central to Russia’s recent...

President Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard: Frequently Asked Questions

Oct 31, 2025 | University of Georgia

In June 2025, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. In August, he sent National Guard troops to Washington, DC. The process has since repeated itself...

Environmental Fragility & Political Instability: Climate Change as a Driver of Democratic Backsliding

Oct 30, 2025 | University of Georgia

Jane Goodall died on Wednesday, October 1st. Her work was incredibly powerful and reached many, authoring 32 books, earning a laundry list of internationally recognized awards, and becoming one of...

How Trump’s 20-Point Plan risks deepening Democratic Erosion in Israel and Palestine

Oct 29, 2025 | University of Georgia

When politicians promise “peace”, they usually mean silence, not democracy. On nearly the anniversary of Hamas’s deadly terrorist attack on Israel from October 7, 2023, comes a recent hostage deal...

Lawful Erosion: Is it Legal or No? Maybe…

Oct 20, 2025 | Arizona State University

Recent reports by The New York Times share a growing consensus within the judiciary of an impending crisis, with a lack of clarity creating foreseeable conflict and confusion. The article noted a...

Pulling the Alarm: From Washington to Rome, Experts Warn of Rapid Democratic Decline

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University

The United States has long upheld an international reputation as the sword and shield of democracy, championing liberal ideals and warning other nations against the rise of authoritarianism. To such...

Who are supplying Guns for Haiti’s Escalating Violence?

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University

Although steps have been taken to restore democracy in Haiti with the appointment of a governing Transitional Presidential Council, violence continues to escalate in the nation’s capital,...

Serbia, Serbian Orthodox Church and Twin Tolerations

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University

The relationship between religion and democracy is a complex one, which makes the interaction between religious communities and the state particularly nuanced. At times, churches act as pillars of...

Whole-Process People’s Democracy: How China’s Rebranding of Democracy Challenges Global Norms

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University, Featured

When Xi Jinping declared that China had achieved “a whole-process people’s democracy,” many outside observers saw the phrase as contradictory. How could an authoritarian, one-party state claim to be...