The series will explore the global erosion of democracy, focusing particularly on its implications for the United States and the wider world. Nations such as Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Venezuela, and Bolivia are adopting the concept of "illiberal democracy," using democratic structures to establish authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes. This course will analyze the driving mechanisms behind this shift in these countries. Furthermore, it will explain how the decline of democracy worsens global volatility and instability, increasing the risk of regional and worldwide upheaval. Additionally, it will examine the role of democracy and its promotion in US Foreign Policy over the past two decades, alongside the influence exerted by Russia and China in encouraging authoritarian trends worldwide. The course will strive to provide insights into potential future developments. This program is being presented as a seminar with limited enrollment to foster discussion.

Lectures:

1. What is Democracy and What it is its Relation to International Stability

2. Undermining Democracy: The Cases of Russia and Turkey

3. Undermining Democracy: The Cases of Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua

4. Undermining Democracy: The Cases of Poland and Hungary

5. Democracy in U.S. Foreign Policy

6. Deterioration of Democracy and Challenges to World Security