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.

Israel’s Judicial Reforms: A Potential Danger to Democracy?

Israel’s suggested judicial reforms pose a risk to democratic checks and balances by undermining the independence of the judiciary, centralizing executive authority, and potentially weakening democratic principles, similar to what has been observed in countries like Poland.

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Turkey has been inching towards autocracy under Erdoğan and the AKP for the last 22 years.

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are still undecided on who to vote for. After all, most voters already cast...

The Duterte Way And His Legacy on Philippine Democracy

Nov 9, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential candidacy in the Philippines’ 2016 elections was a breath of fresh air for a majority of Filipinos. In a society of frustrated poor and...

People Power Fatigue: How Past Revolutions’ Rise (And Fall) Led to Democratic Erosion in the Philippines

Nov 8, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Photo taken by Joey de Vera from People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An eyewitness history, among other historical books....

Legal Methods for Jair Bolsonaro to Engage in Democratic Erosion in Brazil By Shiva Kangeyan

Apr 21, 2019 | University of Chicago

On October 28, 2018, Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party was elected President of Brazil. Despite the party's name, politically Bolsonaro can be categorized as espousing several authoritarian...

“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,...