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 Greater Idaho Movement is Tearing Oregon Apart

Apr 27, 2023 | University of Utah

In the minds of most Americans, states are indissoluble bodies, bound by ties stronger even than those which bind the Union herself. Even in times where talk of secession...

Hanging By A Thread: Democracy in Peru

Apr 27, 2023 | University of Utah

On December 7th, the Peruvian Congress removed sitting President Pedro Castillo from office after he announced plans to shut down congress. This presidential announcement...

What We Can Learn From the Irish: Lessons in Populism

Nov 23, 2020 | Suffolk University

2016 was the year of the populist; The Guardian noted that the words "populist" or "populism" were in almost 2,000 articles written by them in 2016, compared to only 1,000 the year before. In 2016:...

Benin 2021: What Is an Election in the Absence of Competition?

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

The word “Democracy” holds far more than its definition, it represents a promise. The promise of control over one's own life, control of government systems, and most importantly, the knowledge that...

How Comedian Beppe Grillo’s Social Movement Online Shifted Italian Politics Into An Uprising of Political Populism

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

An online comedian, actor, and blogger, Beppe Grillo, shifted his personal profession into becoming the founder of a political movement, changing Italy's standards to a pre-democratic nation; in...

Even if It Is a Fragile Economy, Greece Still Survives During the COVID-19 Pandemic—But Poor of Freedom of Expression

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

November 22, 2020 by Surochinee Santiwisak According to Conor Stewart, the researcher shows the statistics of a number infected COVID-19 cases in Europe zone, and Greece is the country that has the...

Liberia: Will the End of the Weah Administration Be a Turning Point in African Leadership?

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

Liberia has been through its fair share of issues when it comes to leadership, with ruthless dictators like Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor in power in the 1990s during its bloody civil war,...

Small Town Camaraderie in COVID-19 Crisis

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, I think most can agree is the biggest problem that our country is facing today. As such, the topic has been discussed and covered to an extensive degree. What interests...

Albania: The State Of Corruption

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

The state of Albania has struggled with corruption for a majority of its modern history. The corruption in Albania has gotten to the point of slowing down the state's democratic growth. The small...

Corrupting the Youth, Destroying the Future

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

Cyprus is a small country in the Mediteranian with a relatively new Democracy. In the early 1900’s Cyprus was a British colony but it gained independence in 1960. In 1960 Greek and Turkish...

Sunset on the Golden Dawn: The Rise and Fall of Neo-Fascism in Greece

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

Photo by Massimiliano Donghi on Unsplash Earlier this fall Greek courts handed down rulings that changed its political landscape. The leaders of the Golden Dawn party were convicted...