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.

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear By Fotios E. Meimeteas Imagine you are a single mother in the United States, raising four children who depend on you. You have established a new life, built a home, paid taxes, and lived in the United States for...

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...

Pulling the Alarm: From Washington to Rome, Experts Warn of Rapid Democratic Decline

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University

The United States has long upheld an international reputation as the sword and shield of democracy, championing liberal ideals and warning other nations against the rise of...

Who are supplying Guns for Haiti’s Escalating Violence?

Oct 19, 2025 | Arizona State University

Although steps have been taken to restore democracy in Haiti with the appointment of a governing Transitional Presidential Council, violence continues to escalate...

The Vazrazhdane Party: A Study in Polarization in Bulgaria

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

On January 12th, 2022, a violent demonstration over vaccine and mask mandates from the far-right led to an attempt on seizing the Parliament building in Sofia. As this rift between the far-right and...

Democracy in Peril: The Current State of Sri Lankan Democratic Institutions

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

Despite an end to its decades long civil war in 2009, Sri Lanka is still battling to reconcile its people and reunite its nation. Tensions remain high as the government is accused of numerous civil...

Despite a Brawl on Parliament Floor, Executive Increasing Amendments Pass in Jordan

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

Earlier this year, Jordan passed 30 new amendments targeted at granting the ruling king, Abdullah II, more executive power. The amendments include most worryingly, the creation of a National...

Threats to Civil Liberties and Media Freedom in Serbia

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

The past couple of years have seen a decline in Serbian democracy. Like many European countries, Serbia is currently led by an authoritarian leader, Aleksandar Vučić. Since he took presidential...

North Macedonia’s Crisis in Corruption

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

In June 2020, a court in North Macedonia handed down sentences for two high-profile defendants: nine years in jail for flamboyant TV personality Bojan Jovanovski, commonly known as Boki...

Persecution of Journalists Signals Democratic Backsliding in Vietnam

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

The single-party government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has been dogged with accusations of brutally enforcing anti-democratic policies over the years. The most common claims are those...

Romania’s PDS and PNL: A Marriage of Convenience

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

Meeting in Romanian Parliament Despite being a multiparty system, two parties have dominated Romanian politics since the rise of the democratic republic: the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the...

What Happens to a Democracy Deferred: Mali’s Delayed Democratic Elections

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

Earlier this year, Mali’s military run government delayed democratic elections for up to five years — prolonging a promised 18-month democratic transition into 2026 and beyond. Mali is not new to...

Zambia’s Precarious Democracy

Mar 7, 2022 | Ohio State University

In the Autumn of 2016, an election was held in a deeply divided country. After months of protest, and in the wake of claims of election fraud by the losing party, this country elected a president...