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.

Presidential Crisis in Guatemala: The Challenges and Resilience of Democracy

Guatemalan anti-corruption reformer Bernardo Arévalo’s rise to power and election in 2023 brought political blowback from the incumbent power bloc, threatening democratic norms and only being curtailed through widespread international pressure and citizen-led protests.

El Salvador: Nayib Bukele’s Stealth Authoritarian Tactics

How the popularity of Bukele’s war on gangs has emboldened him to quietly dismantle checks on power through specific stealth authoritarian tactics to further erode democratic systems.

El Salvador Chose Bukele, Not Democracy

Constitutional reforms enacted by El Salvadors New Ideas party provide for the consolidation of power and continued rule of President Nayib Bukele.

President Trump’s Deployment of the National Guard: Frequently Asked Questions

Oct 31, 2025 | University of Georgia

In June 2025, President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles. In August, he sent National Guard troops to Washington, DC. The process...

Environmental Fragility & Political Instability: Climate Change as a Driver of Democratic Backsliding

Oct 30, 2025 | University of Georgia

Jane Goodall died on Wednesday, October 1st. Her work was incredibly powerful and reached many, authoring 32 books, earning a laundry list of internationally recognized...

Israel’s Judicial Reforms: A Potential Danger to Democracy?

Apr 20, 2025 | University of Memphis

Israel's Judicial Reforms: A Potential Danger to Democracy? In 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration put forward extensive judicial reforms aimed at significantly...

Arresting Opposition and Squashing Protests: Democratic Backsliding in Turkey Under Erdoğan

Apr 19, 2025 | Boston University

On March 19, Ekrem Imamoğlu, mayor of Istanbul, was arrested on charges of corruption and terrorism. His arrest took place days before he was expected to be selected by the Republican People’s Party...

2025 Romanian Elections: An Election Redo and a Barred Candidate

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

Only two weeks out from Presidential Elections, Romanian voters face a tough decision in deciding on the next leader of their country. The latest opinion polls show that nearly 40% of voters are...

Analyzing Polarization and Democratic Politics: The SAVE Act

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

Last week, the House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act with a large amount of Republican support and four democratic votes. The bill requires all voters to provide proof of U.S....

Turkey: The End of “Competitive Authoritarianism”?

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On March 19, 2025, the top opposition candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, was arrested four days prior to confirmation as the opposition party’s candidate for president. Turkey’s presidential elections are...

Why Protecting American Democracy Means Coming Together In Protest

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

In the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, the Democratic Erosion Consortium's very own professors Robert Blair and Steven Rosenzweig wrote an article in The Boston Globe urging...

Prabowo Dismantling Democracy, One Law at a Time

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On March 20, 2025, Indonesia’s Parliament approved revisions to their Indonesian National Military (TNI) Law No. 34/2004, raising concerns for civilians across the country. President Prabowo...

Land of the Free, Home of the… Silent? Democratic Backsliding in Trump’s America

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

At one point in the not-so-distant past, the words “democracy” and “America” were seemingly synonymous. Since the 2016 election, the American political landscape has experienced dramatic democratic...

Populism as Democratic Medicine: Reiwa Shinsengumi and Japan’s Political Apathy

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

Revisiting Japan’s Democratic Stagnation Populism is often portrayed as a toxin to democracy—an anti-pluralist, anti-institutional movement that undermines liberal norms. Yet, in certain contexts,...