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.

Did the USA Patriot Act Cause Democratic Backsliding in the US?

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States’ World Trade Center in New York City, New...

Zimbabwe: A Democracy in Crisis?

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

BLOG POST When it comes to democracy in the modern world, Zimbabawe’s democratic system finds itself in a precariously unique position where it seeks to find a balance...

Consequences of Filibuster Reform in the U.S.

Feb 3, 2022 | University of Chicago

The current debate over whether to reform the filibuster in the U.S. Senate has profound implications for the strength of American democracy. The filibuster, a procedural rule which allows any...

In Israel, Can Technology Prevent Democratic Erosion?

Feb 3, 2022 | University of Chicago

In Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition, Robert Dahl posits “three necessary conditions for a democracy” [1]. Underlying all three conditions is the availability of “alternative sources of...

How International Relations Affect Serbia

Jan 21, 2022 | Koç University

On 20 November 2021, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Alexander Vucic, gave an interview in Belgrade, where he discussed the most important issues affecting his country today. Asked how he...

Society’s “Demons”: How Anti-LGBTQ+ Framing Works in Poland

Jan 20, 2022 | National University for Political Science and Administrative Studies, Bucharest, Romania

In the photo: “LGBT-free zone” sticker in the front of the conservative magazine Gazeta Polska which included it in their weekly editions “Stigmatization of LGBTI people is a long-standing problem...

Will Moldova’s New Government Be Able to Put an End to the Transnistria Conflict?

Jan 18, 2022 | Koç University

After a runoff vote against incumbent Igor Dorton, opposition incumbent Maia Sandu won Moldova's presidential election in November 2020. After she won the elections, she immediately made a call for...

How Do Ukraine’s Mass Protests Affect Its Politics and How Does the Recent Past Shape Polarization?

Jan 18, 2022 | Koç University

In November 2013, it was the beginning of the protests that changed the future of Ukraine, both from its own citizens and the world. Chenoweth & Stephan suggests in their book of “Why Civil...

Finland on the Brink of Democracy

Jan 18, 2022 | Koç University

Finland, which is also known as the happiest country in the world, has always been a country that is admired with the welfare system and social support programs that are described as the most...

Non-Partisan and Non-Violent Ghanaian Youth on the Streets: Can They #FixTheCountry?

Jan 18, 2022 | Koç University

Started on Twitter with the hashtag #FixTheCounrty and then spread onto streets in the form of non-violent protests. This August, Ghanaian youth have demonstrated against the political elite for the...

Slovakia: Can the New Coalition Government End Corruption and Improve the Democracy Scale of Slovakia?

Jan 18, 2022 | Koç University

The Slovakian democracy is still in it’s early ages and Slovakia has been struggling with authoritarian regime of ruling since the 1989 revolution which was against the dictator communist...