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.

The Democratic Breakdown of Benin: Extremist Groups, Counterterrorism, and Executive Stealth Authoritarianism

A recent coup has exposed Benin’s crumbling democracy, revealing issues including the presence of extremist groups leading to flawed elite counterterrorism through international partners, and executive stealth authoritarianism.

How President Trump is initiating Democratic backsliding to assert his dominance

President Trump is using legal mechanisms to slowly undermine democratic norms, such as institutional forbearance and mutual toleration to exercise and extend total control over other democratic institutions in the United States.

The Trump Administration’s Aggressive Rejection of Dissent Threatens Democracy

As the Trump administration enters its second year, Trump continues to push his strategy of executive aggrandizement, reducing institutions independence and eliminating competition. The administration has attacked any form of dissent, including the media, legislative...

Democracy Hijacked: Sudan’s Descent from Prospective Democracy into Authoritarian Rule

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

Sudan was a country with a prosperous democratic future in 2019, yet today the nation remains worse off than it initially began. With significant military violence and a...

El Salvador’s Security Crackdown: A Path to Authoritarianism?

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

In the last two years, El Salvador has witnessed an unprecedented state-led crackdown on gang violence under President Nayib Bukele. The policies, which include mass...

Indonesia’s Push for an Increase in Number of Presidential Terms

Mar 6, 2022 | Ohio State University

As economic unrest continues to unfold in Indonesia due to the pandemic, people have pushed for both a delayed presidential election and the addition of a presidential term, increasing it from two...

Algeria’s 2021 Snap Elections

Mar 6, 2022 | Ohio State University

2021 saw the country of Algeria hold a snap election in which the entire lower house of Parliament was up for reelection, all 407 of them. This was in major part due to the Hirak protest movement...

Autocratic Regimes: The Importance of Free Media During War

Mar 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

Now that Vladimir Putin has launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine, it is difficult to argue with the reality that Russia should now be considered a fully autocratic regime. Putin has shown...

Targeted by All Sides and Caught in the Crossfire, Journalism Has Become Yemen’s “Death Career”

Mar 4, 2022 | Ohio State University

This month, the International Federation of Journalists along with the Yemeni Journalists’ Syndicate have launched a campaign to draw international attention to the arrest and detainment of four...

Response to Anna Katz: “The Fight for the Soul of the Republican Party Just Suffered Another Loss”

Mar 2, 2022 | Rollins College

Patriarchal Authoritarianism in Egypt: What Women’s Rights Show About Backsliding

Mar 2, 2022 | University of Chicago

The connection between authoritarian regimes and a lack of rights for women has been seen many times before. It is often even a distinguishing trait in the popular discourse, however, the struggle...

What the 2020 Protest Wave Can Tell Us About Polarization and Erosion in the United States

Mar 2, 2022 | University of Chicago

The summer of 2020 brought a fierce wave of protests and demonstrations throughout not only the United States, but much of the world. While perpetuated by the pervasive police brutality that...

Russia: Suppressing Dissent and Evading Accountability

Mar 1, 2022 | University of Chicago

People take part in a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 26, 2022, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo by Yann Schreiber / AFP) (Photo by YANN SCHREIBER/AFP via Getty...

To Nominate or Not to Nominate: The Challenge with Gatekeeping Donald Trump

Feb 28, 2022 | University of Chicago

It is uncommon for defeated presidential candidates to run again. But, then again, Donald Trump has never been one to follow precedent. On Saturday night, the former president hinted at...