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.

Shaking Up Democracy: Is Mexico’s 2024 Judicial Reform Democratic Backsliding?

Is Mexico’s 2024 Judicial Reform Democratic Backsliding?

When Violence Breaks the Surface: The Kirk Incident as a Warning for American Democracy

By Stavros Ligris The shooting of Charlie Kirk during a university event in Utah this September has been described as shocking, tragic, and destabilizing. But it should also be understood as part of a larger pattern of democratic decline in the United States. What...

First 100 Days, More Like First 100 Hours: How Trump’s First 100 Days Played Out Against Trump’s Second 100 Hours

Indiana Senator Jim Banks, a staunch Trump ally, predicted that President Trump’s return to power would be characterized by “shock and awe.” In many ways, the events of President Trump’s first 100 hours in office during his second term have lived up to that promise....

Is Israel proficient at the breach of democratic values?

Oct 5, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Photo source by : Spyware & Democratic Values Is the absence of international laws an excuse for the violation of Israel the breach of democratic principles globally?...

Timor-Leste’s Firm Stance on Myanmar Driven by Values

Oct 5, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Photo 1: Source by Myanmar's military placed heavy restrictions on the internet ahead of the protests (BBC News) Timor-Leste's Support for Fairness and Human Rights in...

American Authoritarianism and Polarization in the Trump Era

Apr 29, 2020 | Georgia State University

An impeachment witness is now an ex-government employee after President Trump asserted his borderline tyrannical presidential powers to remove his political adversaries. 2020 has already been a year...

Trump– Hero or Nero

Apr 29, 2020 | Georgia State University

In my lifetime, democracy has been heralded as the premier form of governance. The will of the individual in concert with others legislates their prerogatives. Historically, democracy has manifested...

Tale of the Tape: Catalonia vs. Spain

Apr 29, 2020 | Georgia State University

In 1978, the death of the execrable dictator Francisco Franco left Spain at a crossroads: either embrace ethnolinguistic regionalism and form several independent states or unite under a common flag....

Was the Election Petition in Ghana a Blessing in Disguise?

Apr 28, 2020 | Georgia State University

For this analytical blog, an assessment of the election petition that took place during Ghana’s Presidential election in 2012 can provide a glimpse into the country’s transition to establishing a...

Consequences of Political Corruption in Bolivia

Apr 28, 2020 | Georgia State University

My blog post is based on how the Bolivia Crisis demonstrated aspects of democratic backsliding. After reading the article by Anria and Roberts (2019), the crisis in Bolivia stems from the...

What Happens After an Autocrat Dies? Legacies of The Country Once A Democracy

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

As the democracies around the world started to take a regressive turn, the academic literature and policy agenda of many pay more attention to the subject of de-democratization. As more and more...

Fight Fire with Fire? – Hostage Diplomacy between the US and Iran

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

Coronavirus pandemic had impacted our daily lives as well as the international relations today. The impact of the pandemic, the fueling of democratic backsliding in certain liberal and electoral...

Some Monsters are Created by Good Will: How can South Korea’s Digital Surveillance Contribute Democratic Backsliding Overseas?

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

South Korea’s fight against the Covid-19 turns out to be worrisome! Not for being ineffective in combating the virus, but for a different story that I would like to tell. As a part of the fight...

The Ill Fate of Nicaragua

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

The lack of democracy and basic freedom in Nicaragua is not a new trend in the country. Over the last century, the country has experienced the invasion of the United States, dictatorship rule by a...