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.

How tolerating and encouraging violence fuels democratic backsliding in Georgia

During the past demonstrations, the ruling party of Georgia – Georgian Dream – made violence their primary weapon in overcoming protest. This blog emphasizes how violence used by the state implies democratic backsliding in light of the theoretical framework by Levistsky and Ziblatt.

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Repression on Repeat: From Kyiv to Minsk to Tbilisi

Repression on Repeat: From Kyiv to Minsk to Tbilisi   Last October, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia. Many considered them as important as a referendum because Georgian citizens were asked to choose between the ruling Georgian Dream, a Euroskeptic...
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The People, the Fear, and the Exhaustion Machine: How Populist Elites in Georgia and Serbia Rule by Chaos

In Georgia and Serbia, populist elites shout about protecting “the People” from endless imaginary threats, masterfully staging a political circus of fear and chaos to secure their grip on power. Whether through Georgia’s slow, insidious erosion of democracy or Serbia’s dizzying whirlwind of perpetual crises, their endgame is the same: exhaust the public into apathy, ensuring the ruling elite stays comfortably unchallenged.

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Suspicions of Speeches

Dec 8, 2023 |

Speeches are a political tool commonly used worldwide, but when they are used in a manner that distinctively promotes one's agenda and avoids accountability, it becomes weaponized communication. The...

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