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...

Germany’s Firewall: A Successful Lesson on Elite Gatekeeping

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University, Featured

The recent rise of radical right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has raised serious concerns about democratic backsliding in Germany. Founded in 2013, the party has...

ICE and the Narrowing of Pluralism

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

The expansion of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under Donald Trump’s second term reflects anti-pluralism moving from rhetoric into institutional form. The...

Possible Effects of Russia’s Recognition of Kosovo on Serbia’s Democracy

Jun 11, 2022 | Koç University

International relations have always reminded me of dominoes. When we consider the bigger picture, a seemingly insignificant event or policy can have a significant influence. The fact that Serbian...

Brazil: A Case of Systematic Police Brutality

Jun 11, 2022 | Koç University

Protests against Police Violence in Rio De Janeiro Aggressive and dehumanizing policing tactics adopted by the Security forces in Rio de Janeiro have led to nationwide uprise and distrust in the...

Youth Are The Future of Democratic Consolidation in Thailand

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Thailand has had a volatile history when it comes to democracy. In 1932, a revolution overthrew the absolute monarchy. The first constitution in the country’s history limited the power of the King...

Another Mass Shooting Happened, And We’re Used to It

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

“Mass shootings, where four or more people — not including the shooter — are injured or killed, have averaged more than one per day so far this year. Not a single week in 2022 has passed without at...

How Identity Politics Polarize Social Media Even Further

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The more social media increases, the more identity politics and echo chambers will grow as well, increasing political polarization within the U.S. With the rise of technology, people have access to...

On the January 6th Hearings: The GOP Needs to Drain Its Own Swamp

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Trump’s acquittal for his second impeachment sets a dangerous precedent for rising players in the GOP, who attempt to follow his lead. The main questions that arose from his historic second...

The Rise of a Dictator and Fall of a People– The Rise of Corruption and Collapse of Civil Society in Serbia

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Since the rise to power of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) and their leader Aleksandar Vučić, democracy and any dream of Western values and lifestyle has eroded away from Serbia. With a clear...

The Left’s Case Against the Disinformation Board

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The DHS secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was the first made the public aware the new disinformation board during a house subcommittee hearing in April. The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated...

Lying Candidates, and the Illusion of Choice

Jun 10, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

On May 5th President Joe Biden met with Chris Smalls, the president of the Amazon Labor Union, who has recently won a historic unionization vote against Amazon which has gone through...