The essay aims to analyze and understand the policy decisions taken by the Americans during their tenure as occupying force from 2003-2004. By understanding what policy was enacted it is possible to judge how it impacted things down the line. Using democratization theory, it becomes possible to categorize a large amount of policy during that time. Meaning there can be a large-scale analysis of the policies and judge if they pushed democracy forward in Iraq. The two research questions are how the US planned to turn Iraq into a democracy and if the policy covered all the five arenas of democratization. After analyzing the material through the five arenas, the two research questions are answered. The US planned for the wrong things and only in Iraq did their plan crystalize. It involved focusing on changes in society that benefitted democracy, but with a top down approach. The policies covered all five arenas of democratisation meaning they were widely applied and pushed democracy in Iraq. The US intended to turn Iraq into a democracy and the policy employed during their tenure supports that goal.

Botswana's democracy has been labeled as ‘the African Miracle’ by the international community. However, in its 50 years of independence, there has been no change in government from the ruling party and the opposition is institutionally weak. The purpose for this study is to analyze the extent of democratic consolidation in Botswana and to try to analyze the challenges in the processes of democratic consolidation. In order to answer the research questions that are put forth in this study, Linz and Stepan’s theoretical framework were used against empirical evidence about Botswana from its independence in 1965 to 2015. The results show that in Botswana the democracy is not consolidated and point toward a more stable democracy than a deeply consolidated democracy. Stable democracy is centered upon the actual functions rather the depth of democracy. The main challenges for further democratic consolidation is the constitutional framework that lack accountability for the executive, the longevity of a dominant party system, the uneven ‘playing field’, the weak opposition, the restrictions and limitation upon the independent media and the civil society. Botswana’s exceptional reputation is exaggerated, while the country have had uninterrupted elections, the depth and quality of the democracy is shallow.

The rapid decline of democracy in Hungary has been one of the EU's most challenging phenomena. The Hungarian parliamentary elections in 2010 saw Viktor Orban's Fidesz party rise to prominence and win a majority in the Hungarian parliament. That would be the starting point of a rapid decline in democracy but also in terms of civil liberties and political rights. This essay aims to address the serious issue of democratic backsliding in Hungary which has influenced other European union (EU) member states to follow the same course, such as Poland. This research identifies issues posed by the current ruling Fidesz party in five arenas: the civil society, the political society, the rule of law, the state bureaucracy, and the economic society. The issue of democratic backsliding is a common phenomena in the 21st century. Therefore, this bachelor's thesis will examine why Hungary became the subject of an extensive democratic backsliding which would turn the country into a hybrid regime.