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.

The Trump Administration’s Recent Attacks on First Amendment Rights May Mirror Viktor Orban’s Autocratic Ruling Style

Similarities between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban’s populist leadership styles may have dangerous ramifications for the health of the United States’ democracy.

Hungary’s Legal Coup: How Viktor Orbán is Rewriting Democracy in Slow Motion

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 Hungary since more than ten years ago, and currently, Fidesz has created a...

The Fragility of Federal Agencies: Why the National Institutes of Health Is at Risk

The selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Secretary of Health and Human Services brought with it drastic changes in public health, specifically through the National Institutes of Health.

Does Nayib Bukele Present a Compelling Challenge to Democratic Values?

Feb 15, 2025 | Boston University

Underlining political discussion here in the United States is a presumption that democracy is the best system by which we can organise civil society. I should preface that...

DOJ Terminations

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Recently, The White House Terminated multiple U.S. attorneys within the Justice Department, which in itself can be seen as executive aggrandizement considering The White...

The Return of the Taliban to Afghanistan

Dec 11, 2022 | Suffolk University

In 1996, The Taliban emerged as the leader of Afghanistan after storming Kabul and overthrowing the Soviet-Backed president, Muhammed Najibullah. They rose to power under the promise of peace after...

Polarizing Protests: Bolsonaro’s Defeat in Brazil

Dec 11, 2022 | Skidmore College

Three years ago, former President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, stood behind bars, with his best years seemingly behind him. After being released in 2019 due to a Supreme Court...

Recent Election Leaves Brazil in Polarized State

Dec 10, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

https://globalvoices.org/2022/11/21/how-football-and-politics-are-intertwined-in-a-polarized-post-election-brazil/ The most recent Brazilian presidential election between leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da...

The Invasion of Ukraine: A Crisis Magnifies a Larger Issue of Internal Instability and Corruption

Dec 9, 2022 | Suffolk University

Ukraine is facing a Constitutional Court and corruption crisis that will impact its ability to recover from the devastation to democratic sovereignty caused by Russia’s advances of military action...

Free Speech, Social Media, and Elections: A Factor Analysis

Dec 8, 2022 | Boston University

Context On December 2nd, Elon Musk retweeted a thread which was posted at Musk’s behest by Matt Taibbi, called The “Twitter Files.” The thread details the censorship Twitter executives engaged in...

The Uphill Battle for Democracy in Vietnam

Dec 8, 2022 | Boston University

On June 23rd 2022, Phan Huu Diep Anh, a Facebook user living in Ho Chi Minh City, was sentenced to one and a half years in prison on the charge of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe on State...

Populist Reforms in Mexico

Dec 6, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Another populist attempts to strengthen their power through eliminating electoral institutions in Mexico. Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has used his power in the presidency to...

The Republican Party Has a Viktor Orbán Problem

Dec 5, 2022 | Skidmore College

On August 4, 2022, Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán spoke at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference in Dallas, Texas. CPAC is a conference where American...

Conspiracy Theories and the 2020 United States Elections

Dec 4, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

On January 6, 2021, the American public received a startling reminder of the effects of conspiracy theories. As a direct result of President Trump’s conspiratorial rhetoric, a violent mob invaded...