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.

Tunisia: A Case Study of Autocratic Backsliding and the Impetus call for Democracy

Since the demand for democracy emerged during the Arab Spring across many middle eastern countries, the origin country Tunisia have been countlessly facing many challenges in their struggle against authoritarian resurgence. What factors have contributed to...

Examining Democratic Backsliding Through the Actions of ICE

The disruption and terror produced by ICE agents have spread rapidly across the United States, having devastating impacts on big cities and small towns alike. In Leominster, Massachusetts — a town with generations of families, many being of Hispanic origin — video...

How Trump is using Stealth Authority

Trump is using stealth authoritarianism in his past presidency, after losing his presidency to Biden, and in his current presidency.

Democratic Backsliding in the 2025 Tanzanian Presidential Election

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

In the past year, Tanzania has been dealing with tensions surrounding their presidential election in October. There have been claims of election tampering, insurgency, and...

Italy Through the Lens of Democratic Erosion

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Are We Still Living in a WEIRD World? In the last decade, the world has witnessed a growing instability of democratic institutions in countries considered to be consolidated...

Presidential Crisis in Guatemala: The Challenges and Resilience of Democracy

Nov 24, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Guatemala’s 2023 Presidential election sparked a democratic crisis in the country, as anti-corruption reformer Bernardo Arévalo’s rise to power and election brought political blowback from the...

El Salvador: Nayib Bukele’s Stealth Authoritarian Tactics

Nov 24, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

El Salvador has been known, historically, for its high murder rate and deep-seated gang violence. However, over the past six years the country's gang violence has decreased by 70%. But at what cost?...

El Salvador Chose Bukele, Not Democracy

Nov 21, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

On July 31, 2025, the El Salvadoran congress passed significant changes to the El Salvadoran constitution. By a vote of 57 to 3, they passed notable changes including the removal of presidential...

Civil Society vs. Populism: Israel’s Fight Over Democracy

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

“Democracy can collapse in silence, but in Israel it spilled into the streets.” On July 24, 2023, the Knesset passed what became known as the “reasonableness law,” eliminating the Supreme Court’s...

Can Poland Rebuild Its Democratic Institutions Without Breaking Them Further?

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Georgia

Poland’s 2023 election was noted as a critical turning point. After eight years, the Law and Justice Party (PiS), a coalition led by Donald Tusk gained enough seats to attempt a democratic course...

Daniel Ortega, and his Patient, Lifelong Quest for Unchecked Power in Nicaragua

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Nicaragua’s experience with true, liberal democracy is limited. Their battle to end United States backed regimes went well into the 1970s. Free, fair, competitive elections were not seen until 1990....

Free But Not Fair – Turkey’s Tilted Elections

Nov 20, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

In the May 2023 Turkish presidential election, the world watched closely to see if voters would finally have the power to put an end to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 20 year rule. However, the...

Legislating Erosion in Slovakia

Nov 19, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

In 1998, Slovaks took a stand against their government to ensure future democratization. After the Velvet Revolution and Divorce, the Slovak Republic became a hybrid regime under the nationalist...

El Salvador’s Successful Stealth Authoritarianism

Nov 17, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Executive aggrandizement has been a persistent issue in El Salvador for years, dating back to President Bukele's election in 2019. With legislative approval, Bukele is on his way to eroding...