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 are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate narratives and generate AI videos to publicly denounce the actions of one...

Orbán and the Courts: Why Hungary’s Democracy Is at Risk

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Orbán and the Courts: Why Hungary’s Democracy Is at Risk Is Hungary’s Democracy Still Alive? If you’ve been following European politics, you might have seen news about...

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...

Is It Too Late to Stop Guatemalan Corruption?

Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

Corruption runs rampant in Guatemala - and the destruction of human rights is on its path. Recent years under Guatemala’s last two presidents, Jimmy Morales (2016-20) and incumbent president...

Georgia’s Politically Motivated Convictions

Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

The country of Georgia, located at the border of Europe and Asia, has recently seen a major constriction of civil liberties. Once a member of the Soviet Union, Georgia is now classified as its own...

Instability: The New Bulgarian Status Quo

Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

Much like the constant state of Israeli politics in recent years, Bulgarians voted on October 2nd for the fourth time in less than two years. The snap election, triggered by the summer dissolvement...

Fraud in Zambia: Can Investigating Corruption Hurt Democracy?

Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

Zambia's democracy needs a savior, and many believe that savior just might be the newly elected President Hichilema. Since his election in 2021, Hichilema's Zambia has seen massive reductions in...

Retrogressive Reform: Poland’s Judicial Creep Backwards

Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

Since the fall of communism in Poland in 1989, no single party has won an outright majority of seats in parliamentary elections - until the PiS (Law and Justice) Party became the first in 2015. With...

Purging Democracy: Voter Roll Purges and the Undermining of US Democracy

Oct 14, 2022 | Boston University

From 2014 to 2016, 16 million voters were removed from voter registration lists. Voter roll purges keep voting rolls accurate by canceling the registration of people who have passed away, moved, or...

Italy’s Populist Experiment

Oct 14, 2022 | Boston University

The election of Italy's Giorgia Meloni brings to light decades old tensions between technocracy and democracy within EU countries. On September 26, 2022, Giorgia Meloni, President and founder of the...

Silenced: Detainment of Opposition Politicians in Benin

Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

Prior to 2016, Benin was considered to be a very stable democracy. Between 1991, when it became a democracy, and 2016, Benin experienced many free and fair elections, following which power...

Continued Threats and Erosion of Democracy in Poland

Oct 14, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

On July 12, 2020 incumbent Polish President Andrzej Duda won the second round of the presidential elections with 51.0% of the popular vote (BBC, 2020). Duda had first been elected to office in 2015...