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...

The Trump Administration’s Recent Attacks on First Amendment Rights May Mirror Viktor Orban’s Autocratic Ruling Style

Nov 1, 2025 | University of Georgia

When asked about Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orban, Donald Trump stated, “There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orbán. He’s fantastic”....

Hungary’s Legal Coup: How Viktor Orbán is Rewriting Democracy in Slow Motion

Oct 31, 2025 | University of Georgia

Hungary's erosion of democracy is occurring in courts, parliament and the wording of new laws, not in protests and demonstrations. Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party has been...

An Argument for Compulsory Voting

Mar 16, 2022 | University of Georgia

Voting has been considered a sacred practice for centuries. As one of the main pillars of a democratic society, perhaps the best way to do this in a democratic system is to vote in elections. And...

Private Arbiters of Public Discourse: Facebook, MSI, and the Political Power of the Algorithm

Mar 16, 2022 | Brown University

In the digital age, it is plausible that a minor tweak in an algorithm could erode democracy as successfully as a charismatic demagogue. Juggernaut tech corporations have monopolized the markets of...

How India Turned Away from Democracy

Mar 16, 2022 | University of Georgia

In 1947, India became independent from British imperialist rule. It became a democracy with a parliamentary system and a liberal, far-reaching constitution. Hundreds of millions of people are...

America’s Revision to False Democracy: The Impact of the Judicial System’s Reversal from Protecting the Right to Vote

Mar 16, 2022 | University of Georgia

America is seen as a beacon of democracy around the world and the right to vote is one of the key principles of democracy. Having free and fair elections is one of the most important pillars of...

Canada in Crisis…Or Not: Trudeau, Emergency Powers, and the Freedom Convoy

Mar 15, 2022 | Brown University

Through the first two months of 2022, Canada has been in the midst of one of the most unforeseen political stories to emerge in years, a Vaccine mandate protest which has grown so confrontational in...

The United States, Mexico, and Unfolding Democratic Ideals

Mar 15, 2022 | University of Georgia

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has taken several actions that raise concern over United States – Mexico relations as well as the state of democracy in Mexico....

The Destruction of Global Democracy: Why Nation-States Are Fundamentally Undemocratic

Mar 15, 2022 | Brown University

The current state of global democracy is in shambles. Liberal democratic institutions are in decline and the erosion of global democracy in recent years has only accelerated. As such, the liberal...

The Fall of the Dozhd TV: The Last Independent TV News Channel in Russia

Mar 14, 2022 | Brown University

On March 3rd, 2022, in the midst of the Russian invasion into Ukraine, the only independent TV news channel in Russia, Dozhd TV (also known as TV Rain), stopped broadcasting. Its editor-in-chief...

Neoliberalism, Populism, and Democratic Erosion in Peru

Mar 14, 2022 | University of Georgia

The traditional conceptions of neoliberalism and populism are quite contradictory, making it difficult to imagine a scenario in which they could be successfully combined by a political leader....