Presentation by Jeff Seward. Regimes like Putin’s Russia, Erdogan’s Turkey, and Maduro’s Venezuela don’t seem to be straightforward dictatorships, but they are not functioning democracies either. Political scientists refer to these regimes as “competitive authoritarianism.” They involve a facade of democratic practices, but the political playing field is severely tilted in favor of the ruling party. Is the United States under Donald Trump turning into a “competitive authoritarian” regime? Jeff Seward is a professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Pacific University and has been a frequent guest speaker at HGP. He has taught comparative politics, political philosophy, and courses on Latin America. Prior to his academic career, he was a reporter and documentary film producer. In 2018, Routledge Press published his book about politics in Brazil.