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.

Silencing the Bench: How Poland’s “Muzzle Law” Accelerates Democratic Erosion

Democracy depends on more than just elections: it requires strong independent institutions, specifically courts, that can check and balance political power. In Poland, a nation once praised for its post-communist democratic transition, it has now faced a systematic...

What Does the United States Democracy Have in Store?

Democracy of the United States has fallen, and learning what is happening is importantly to try to stop it.

Turkey’s Attempted 2016 Coup is a Symptom, Not a Cause of Democratic Erosion

On July 15, 2016, tanks and members of the Turkish military took to the streets of Istanbul in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government. Soldiers invaded the headquarters of the ruling party while fighter jets bombed the capital city of Ankara. This coup...

The Combo of Asset Freezes and Deterioration of Democratic Norms relegates India’s Democratic Standing

Apr 15, 2026 | Boston University

Recently, India has been experiencing some forms of democratic backsliding. According to Nancy Bermeo’s “On Democratic Backsliding”, she depicts democratic backsliding as...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2026/03/13/bitcoin-in-the-crossfire-what-oil-shocks-really-do-to-crypto/

Apr 14, 2026 | University of Houston

There’s this one anecdote that circulates the internet a lot. I see it every few months myself, you probably see it just as often. The Bitcoin pizzas. Some guy paid 10,000...

When Democracy Erodes, Human Security Fails in Sudan

Nov 10, 2025 | Universitas Islam Indonesia

Human Security and Democratic Erosion in Sudan (2018 - 2023) Introduction As a high school student, I joined thousands of Sudanese youth in the streets of Wad Madani in December 2018. I became a...

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...