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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

The Dangerous Potential of Speaker Mike Johnson

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

The month of October 2023 was full of turmoil for the United States House of Representatives after the Republican majority elected to remove the speaker, Kevin McCarthy,...

Trump’s Weaponized Communication during the Pandemic

Nov 21, 2023 | University of Memphis

The global epidemic in 2020 was disastrous, costing the globe dearly. The United States, in particular, struggled. President Trump was in office during Covid-19. His...

Stephen Breyer, Merrick Garland, and Amy Coney Barrett: Democratic Erosion and the SCOTUS

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

With Justice Stephen Breyer’s recent announcement of his planned retirement, conversations concerning who Joe Biden will appoint to the Supreme Court are abound. Nevertheless, the United States has...

Ballot Drop Boxes: Harbinger of Doom or Torch of Democracy?

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

Partisan rancor over voting methods threatens the American public’s trust in the legitimacy of elections. Ballot drop boxes, a campaign issue in Georgia's Republican primary elections for the...

Seizure of Voting Machines: How Far Will Executive Reach Extend?

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

After widespread claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, recent news reveals that former President Donald J. Trump was directly involved in the development of plans to seize control of voting...

Autocracy and Imprisonment: Why Humanitarian Intervention Is Cuba’s Only Hope

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

In Ozan Varol’s Stealth Authoritarianism, one of the main conditions of authoritarianism is “rampant” corruption as well as “abuse of state resources” [1]. Regime change is deemed possible through...

Democracy and the Right to Organize: Egyptian Prosecution of Human Rights Organizations through Case 173

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

On January 22nd, 2022, Egypt’s human rights issues made headlines when Biden refused $130 million in security assistance that had originally been promised to them, citing human rights concerns. This...

Evaluating the (un)Democratic Performance of Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

When All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Muhammadu Buhari defeated the incumbent Johnathan Goodluck from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 Nigerian election, many saw the country...

Patria y Vida: The Cuban People Take a Stand

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

2021 was a historic year across the world’s democratic institutions, and not for the best reasons. There were at least five successful coups in 2021 alone (more than in all five previous years...

Violence Against Journalists in Mexico: An Attack on Freedom of Press

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

This past month, four journalists have been killed in Mexico. Last year, at least seven journalists were killed, marking an unprecedented number of deaths of journalists and reporters. Mexico has...

AOC and the Met Gala: How Elected Officials Becoming Celebrities Undermines Their Offices

Feb 4, 2022 | University of Chicago

Shining in the flash of the paparazzis’ cameras, one would think that the woman posing was a seasoned celebrity. An actress, or perhaps a pop star. In reality she was the U.S....