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.

Fear Wins Votes: Trump’s Violations and Consistent Support

This blog evaluates how Donald Trump’s political success stems from his use of fear-based rhetoric and polarization, which reshape voter priorities, weaken democratic accountability, and allow violations of democratic norms to occur without consequence.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary: A Prime Example of Authoritarian Populism

With elections in Hungary coming up this April, the country’s incumbent prime minister, Viktor Orban, is ramping up efforts to stay in power, resorting to authoritarian tactics to sway the vote in his favor once again. Orban and his Fidesz Party are facing a real...

Donald Trump Continues to Exemplify Every Autocratic Warning Sign in the Book

The recent launching of an air strike campaign by the United States and Israel against Iran has the international and domestic community alike holding their breath, and it only confirms long-held concerns about President Trump’s style of governing; he...

Hungary: A Case Study of Democratic Backsliding in the European Union

Mar 1, 2026 | Arizona State University

Since the conclusion of the Cold War and the collapse of Soviet influence in Central and Eastern Europe, many countries embraced liberal democracy as the ultimate stage...

How Pakistans Government has Backslided Further since Imran Khan’s arrest

Feb 27, 2026 | Boston University

Democratic erosion is a gradual process that has been an ongoing process in Pakistan. While the country still holds elections and operates under the 1973 constitution, the...

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

Nov 3, 2025 | University of Georgia

In late September, President Donald Trump followed his ad-hoc federal mobilizations of National Guard servicemembers and nationwide deployment of ICE officers with a directive to the FBI’s Joint...

How Bosnia’s Postwar Framework Made Dodik Inevitable

Nov 2, 2025 | University of Georgia

When Vladimir Putin met with Milorad Dodik at a diplomatic forum in Sochi on October 2, 2025, he greeted him as “President Dodik.” This moment drew attention because two weeks prior, after months of...

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

Nov 1, 2025 | University of Georgia

When asked about Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orban, Donald Trump stated, “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán. He’s fantastic”. Considering the illiberal,...

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 creating institutions in...

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 Again.” The initial MAHA...

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...