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.

Syria is not “Stuck Between Systems.” Time is the system.

Understand why the “waiting game” isn’t the answer to political change.

Democratic erosion in Ecuador

Second Blog post On March 6, 2026, Ecuador’s electoral courts ordered the suspension of the country's largest left leaning opposition party, Revolucion Ciudadana (Citizen’s revolution). The party, recognized as the primary opposition of Noboa's right-leaning National...

Pernicious Polarization and the Failure of Resistance in El Salvador

The current state of democracy in El Salvador emphasizes how pernicious polarization destroys the possibility of effective resistance to democratic backsliding, as theorized by McCoy, Rahman, and Somer in "Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy." Bukele's...

The Election That May Save Hungary’s Democracy

Apr 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

"Today we won because the Hungarian people didn't ask what their country could do for them, but what they could do for their country," -Péter Magyar Hungary just held its...

Misinformation: The Role it Plays in the Persistence of the 2020 Election

Apr 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

Democratic stability not only relies on fair elections, but on the shared belief of their legitimacy. The controversy surrounding the 2020 United States presidential...

Is Mexico’s Democracy Slipping?

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University, Universities

Is Mexico’s Democracy Slipping? Yehyun Kim Why choose this case for study: Mexico is a fascinating and critical case for this study democratic backsliding....

India’s Democratic Decline: Political Elites and Institutional Weakening

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

These days, democratic consolidation has become increasingly difficult, and democracy itself is gradually declining around the world. In particular, it is no longer a rare situation for a country...

Inclusion vs. Liberalism: The Two Faces of Bolivian Democracy

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University, Universities

Introduction Did Bolivia's democracy advance or retreat? Answering this question requires not just looking at the election results but also understanding the two conflicting trends of institutional...

Peru’s Democracy Wasn’t Taken. It Was Given Away.

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

The night he went after Congress, the courts, and the constitution all at once, most people backed him for it. That detail tends to stop people. It should. April 1992, Lima. A sitting president...

Would democracy survive from Stealth Authoritarianism?

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

It’s a wolf! A wolf in sheep’s clothing! The wolf known as Stealth Authoritarianism has now evolved and is attempting to be the shepherd of sheep. Its ulterior motive is to become a shepherd and...

Democracy in Name, Fear in Reality: Mexico

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University, Universities

What if a country is called a democracy, but many people are too afraid to vote? Mexico is seen as a democratic country. It has elections, political parties and a constitution. But many people feel...

Thailand’s Hybrid Regime: Democracy Shaped by Military and Monarchy by Ashleigh Sodee

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

Thailand’s political system is also shaped by the continued influence of the monarchy, particularly under King Maha Vajiralongkorn, which makes it distinct from many of its Southeast Asian...

Turkey Still Holds Elections, So How Does Erdoğan Make Use of Religiously Entangled State Power to Erode Democracy?

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

Turkey still holds elections, yet democratic competition in the country has become increasingly constrained. Freedom House’s 2026 report rates Turkey 32/100 and classifies it as “Not Free,”...

The Quiet Erosion of Democracy : Why Israel’s Political Crisis Should Worry Us All

Apr 20, 2026 | George Mason University

The Quiet Erosion of Democracy : Why Israel’s Political Crisis Should Worry Us All GOVT133 Seungyun Lim A country can hold free elections and still slowly lose the quality that makes it truly...