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...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

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...

Dina Boluarte and Democratic Backsliding in Peru

Dec 16, 2025 | University of Pittsburgh

Figure 1 Ui-martin September, 2025 With the murder of over 50 protestors in three years, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has demonstrated her willingness to suppress...

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...

The Attack on Women’s Voting Rights in the US

May 21, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The true republic: men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.Susan B. Anthony Superficially the eradication of women's rights to choose is an attack on bodily...

Democratic Resilience

May 20, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Our country is divided, we all know that, and there have been lies spread throughout the land. Lies of a stolen election perpetrated by a desperate political operator who felt his power slipping...

Populism and Political Systems

May 20, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

In the past few years, the tendency of populism has been increasing worldwide. Many state leaders are reckoned as populist due to their proposals on policies, such as the former President of the...

Will Castillo’s Proposed Referendum Fix Peru’s Democratic Erosion?

May 17, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

In June 2021, Pedro Castillo, a self proclaimed leftist populist, was elected as the president of Peru. With his victory over Keiko Fujimori a right wing populist only coming by 40,000 votes it...

Elon Musk’s Acquisition of Twitter: The Privatization of Social Media

May 17, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

Twitter, the social media platform that has been publicly traded since 2013, is expected to come under private ownership once again. This news comes with Elon Musk’s $44 billion offer to acquire the...

The Crumbling Institutional Pillars of the US Supreme Court

May 17, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

The recent leak of the initial majority draft opinion on Roe v. Wade has many implications of democratic erosion. The significance of this occurrence goes beyond the potential overturning of this...

Department of Homeland Security Announces New Disinformation Board

May 17, 2022 | University of California, San Diego

On April 27, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it had formed a new board focused on combating disinformation. The board will be headed by Nina Jankowicz, a Wilson Center...

Rise of Erdogan and Democratic Erosion in Turkey

May 17, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Turkey was once the beacon of democratic liberalism in the East, outside of the Western powers. However, under its current leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling party, Justice and Development...