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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

Exchanges of Stealth Authoritarianism Abroad: 2022 UK Elections Act

Oct 16, 2022 | Boston University

The US has for years used gerrymandering, felony disenfranchisement, voter ID, and many other measures to suppress the vote. Through these measures, US conservatives not...

Populism Is a Problem. More Democracy Is Not the Solution.

Oct 16, 2022 | Boston University

Trump’s brand of populism created the single most politically spectacular event in the US’s history, when the pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021 to prevent...

“Anti-Corruption” Politics: A Threat to Mongolia’s “Oasis of Democracy” by Charlotte Bairey

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

In 2016, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry regaled Mongolia as an “oasis of democracy” in contrast to its neighbors such as China and Russia. Following its Democratic Revolution of 1990, Mongolia...

Protected: The Cyberwar Against Taiwanese Democracy

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

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Checks and Balances in Mongolia and the United States- Malak Arafa

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

Mongolia and the United States are both prime examples of how weakened checks on the executive branch can lead to a lack of trust in democratic institutions and ultimately to executive...

Access to Political power by Max Krause

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

The last remnants of overt authoritarianism in the United States have become besieged by powerful social movements. The American Civil war was fought to end the tyranny of chattel slavery. Far too...

Is Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić an Autocrat, and Can Serbians Stop Him? by Madalene Smith-Huemer

Apr 21, 2019 | Georgetown University

Since the ousting of Serbia’s former President and war criminal Slobodan Milošević in 2000, Serbia has made strides toward a parliamentary democracy with competitive multiparty elections, even...

Chronicle of a Crisis Foretold: Chavez playbook on the current Venezuelan crisis. By David Ardila

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

The Venezuelan regime has essentially run out of vocal supporters in the international scene. A decade ago, several prominent public figures and politicians praised and defended the Chavez regime as...

Erosion of Media Pluralism in Albania By Stiv Mucollari

Apr 20, 2019 | Suffolk University

During the communist era in Albania, the Party of Labor controlled the media. Albania had only one-state owned television station and two daily newspapers, and foreign TV broadcasts were jammed.[1]...

Twitter as a Populist Platform

Apr 20, 2019 | University of Chicago

It’s 2019 and President Donald Trump’s twitter antics have become an accepted norm of life. Gone are the days of amicable tweets depicting diplomats shaking hands in foreign countries. Instead,...

William Barr as AG – just another step in stealth authoritarianism by Guilherme Soares

Apr 20, 2019 | University of Chicago

William Barr began his second term as Attorney General of the United States on February 14th, 2019. His nomination and confirmation came during the already tumultuous Special Counsel investigation...