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...

Namibia’s Troubling Drift Toward Democratic Erosion

Dec 16, 2025 | Georgia State University Perimeter College

Namibia’s 2024 general election marks a significant moment of democratic backsliding, not through overt electoral manipulation, but through systemic administrative failures...

Will Protests in Morocco Lead to Meaningful Change?

Dec 16, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Moroccan youth have taken to the streets in protests demanding lower healthcare costs, the right to protest, and other reforms including decreased sports expenditures. The...

Marcos, Misinformation, and Myopia: A Cautionary Tale

May 25, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Less than a mere two generations after Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship, populist myopia has upended the Philippines election cycle—a stark warning to the rest of the world of the dangers of digital...

The Bottomless Pit: The Steel Trap That Is Populism, and Why Escape May Not Be Feasible Once Sprung

May 25, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

With the increasing polarization of Americans, and the newfound wave of popular support for far-right populism as birthed by Donald Trump and his supporters, it is becoming increasingly difficult to...

CPAC in Hungary: Endorsing Extremism and Attacking the Press

May 24, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses a keynote speech during an extraordinary session of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Balna cultural centre of Budapest,...

Tunisia in Turmoil: Rising Populism and Democratic Erosion

May 24, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

In response to corruption and economic struggle, the 2010-2011 Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia sparked unrest and a call for democracy and reform within the entire Arab region. While protests in many...

Pennsylvania’s Republican Senatorial Primary Suggests a Re-Legitimization of Anti-Liberal Democratic Populism

May 24, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The GOP senatorial primary, in Pennsylvania, has been dominated by the candidacies of Mehmet Oz, David McCormick and Kathy Barnette. Beyond their disparate political histories, however, lies a pair...

The Mexican Recall Election: President Recalls Himself

May 24, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

President Lopez Obrador uses the process intended to remove an unpopular President from office to instead reinforce his supposed popularity. On April 10, 2022 Mexico held a Presidential recall...

False Information in Social Media and the American Government

May 24, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

As our society is becoming more technologically advanced, we are moving towards using social media not only as a recreational tool, but also as a social platform. Most people have noticed this...

The Republican Party’s War on Democracy

May 23, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

A recently leaked draft from the Supreme Court shows that the Justices have decided to overturn the longstanding case of Roe v. Wade. This will give states the ability to mandate whether or not...

Chile: New Hope For Democratic Consolidation?

May 22, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

President Gabriel Boric Democratic erosion is currently a global crisis, as many countries experience various forms of backsliding, including the United States. The global loss of democratic systems...