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.

Tunisia: A Case Study of Democratic Backsliding and the Impetus call for Civil Democracy

Since the demand for democracy emerged during the Arab Spring across many middle eastern countries, the origin country Tunisia have been countlessly facing many challenges in their struggle against authoritarian resurgence. What factors have contributed to...

Examining Democratic Backsliding Through the Actions of ICE

The disruption and terror produced by ICE agents have spread rapidly across the United States, having devastating impacts on big cities and small towns alike. In Leominster, Massachusetts — a town with generations of families, many being of Hispanic origin — video...

How Trump is using Stealth Authority

Trump is using stealth authoritarianism in his past presidency, after losing his presidency to Biden, and in his current presidency.

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DOGE and the Mask of “Reform”: Stealth Authoritarianism in Action Once Again

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

In early 2025, President Donald Trump announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), his specialized advisory initiative led by Elon Musk and...

Israel, A Democracy?

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Israel is frequently described as “the only democracy in the Middle East,” yet when evaluated through the lens of democratic theory, this claim is quite absurd. Israel...

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...

Peru’s Hollow Democracy: How Congress Captured the State

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University, Featured

When Peru's Congress voted unanimously on October 10, 2025, to remove President Dina Boluarte for "permanent moral incapacity," the decision was framed as a constitutional act. In reality, it...

Democratic Means to Undemocratic Ends – How Donald Trump is Weaponizing Democracy for His Own Gain

Oct 18, 2025 | Arizona State University

Modern autocratization is often marked by executive leaders weaponizing the legal system of the democratic country they were elected to lead. It allows for an easy way of legitimizing controversial...

Shaking Up Democracy: Is Mexico’s 2024 Judicial Reform Democratic Backsliding?

Sep 22, 2025 | Arizona State University

Judicial Reform in Mexico June 1, 2025, marked a landmark institutional shift in Mexico. For the first time in the country’s history, it held elections to select all aspects of its judiciary by...

When Violence Breaks the Surface: The Kirk Incident as a Warning for American Democracy

Sep 11, 2025 | Boston University

By Stavros Ligris The shooting of Charlie Kirk during a university event in Utah this September has been described as shocking, tragic, and destabilizing. But it should also be understood as part...

First 100 Days, More Like First 100 Hours: How Trump’s First 100 Days Played Out Against Trump’s Second 100 Hours

Jun 16, 2025 | The University of Alabama

Indiana Senator Jim Banks, a staunch Trump ally, predicted that President Trump’s return to power would be characterized by “shock and awe.” In many ways, the events of President Trump’s first 100...

History Repeats: Why Strong Global Defense is Key to Preventing Autocracy

Jun 4, 2025 | The University of Alabama

Dictators and autocratic forces capitalize on weak leadership, using diplomatic loopholes, and democratic erosion to expand their influence and destabilize vulnerable nations. History has...