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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

Disinformation Teaches Democracy a Lesson: The 2020 US Election

Nov 22, 2023 | University of Memphis

The 2020 United States presidential election with Democrat Joe Biden running against Republican Donald Trump was a turning point in American politics. This election was full...

Viktor Orbán: Prime Minister or Authoritarian Ruler?

Nov 21, 2023 | Northeastern University

Democracy was rocky in Hungary in its early post-communist years. Several of the political parties in power were riddled with corruption and economic inequality plagued the...

Has the Supreme Court Lost Its Legitimacy?

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

Currently in Texas it is illegal for women who are six or more weeks pregnant to get an abortion following the passing of Senate Bill 8, which went into effect September of last year. This new ban...

Will the Upcoming Referendum Bring Meaningful Change to Belarus?

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, is widely considered to be an authoritarian, earning him the unflattering title of “Europe’s last dictator.” Historically, elections have been neither...

The Electoral Rule-Bending Enabling Viktor Orbán’s Quest for a United Hungary

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

A few weeks ago, I received the letter pictured above from Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán in my mailbox. “Dear citizen! I write to you today because Hungary has a parliamentary election next...

Can Authoritarian Leaders Appropriate Democratic Interventions?

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In 2020 Alexander Lukashenko “won” yet another term in what is widely considered an unfree election. Domestic protests quickly followed and were repressed in a harsh fashion by the regime....

Expanding Non-Citizen Voice via Vote

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In the US, a significant population of the governed are not citizens in the eyes of the law. As repeatedly demonstrated during Trump era politics, this population of non-citizens are subjected to...

How Russian Presence in Venezuela Signals Democratic Erosion

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In what seems to be a Cold-War era tactic, Russia has once again attempted to assert its dominance in the Western Hemisphere. On Jan. 13, a senior Russian official threatened the deployment of...

India: Shifting Political Party Loyalties of Politicians

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

In the United States, and many other western countries with the two-party system, the two major political parties operate on the basis of discernibly disparate political ideologies. However,...

Joe Biden Against the Filibuster and Voting Rights in the States

Feb 5, 2022 | University of Chicago

Last month, US President Joe Biden voiced his desire to do away with the filibuster rule in the Senate after his plans to push the Democrat Party’s Freedom to Vote and John Lewis Rights Advancement...

Wisconsin is a Masterclass in Stealth Authoritarianism

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

Following a worrying trend of anti-democratic actions taken by Wisconsin's Republican politicians, in November of 2021, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson called for a unilateral takeover of the state’s...