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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Donald Trump Continues to Exemplify Every Autocratic Warning Sign in the Book

The recent launching of an air strike campaign by the United States and Israel against Iran has the international and domestic community alike holding their breath, and it only confirms long-held concerns about President Trump’s style of governing; he...

Fear Over Freedom: ICE in Trump’s America

Why EU Membership Isn’t Saving Croatia’s Democracy

More than a decade after joining the European Union, Croatia still struggles with corruption, weak courts, and low public trust. This raises a puzzle: if EU membership is supposed to lock in democratic stability, why do these problems persist? The answer lies in a key...

Abortion Rights Are Fundamental to Democracy. Why Do Democracies Ban It?

Oct 9, 2024 | Brown University

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, concluding that the U.S. Constitution does not provide federal protections for a woman’s right to choose. But in...

The Threat of JD Vance’s Populism to the Future of America

Oct 9, 2024 | Brown University

JD Vance has been called many things by many people since he was announced as Donald Trump’s Vice Presidential running mate three months ago. He is conservative and...

The EU and Its Populist Problem

Apr 9, 2021 | American University

Does the European Union (EU) have a populist problem? While many cannot even agree on what populism is, my answer to the question is an emphatic “Yes.” Media and political discourse in Western...

Virtual and Conventional Civil Society in Belarus

Apr 9, 2021 | American University

Protestors took to the streets to oppose the fraudulent election of “Europe’s Last Dictator” Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 Belarusian presidential elections. Their defiance of the Lukashenko...

#VotoApruebo: How National Referenda Are Saving Chile’s Democracy

Apr 9, 2021 | American University

On October 25th, 2020, millions of Chileans at home and abroad voted overwhelmingly in favor of scrapping the 1980 Constitution. Furthermore, the populous voted in favor of establishing a...

Dissing Democracy

Apr 8, 2021 | American University

Nations known for defending and promoting liberal ideals are now dissing democracy. The latest Freedom House figures are shocking. From our perch in the West, we are witnessing a train smash in the...

The Re-Election of Nguyễn Phú Trọng and Its Implications for Vietnam

Apr 6, 2021 | Georgia State University

Vietnam is a country with an authoritarian and non-democratic regime, led solely by the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV). Yet, unlike other authoritarian models of governments often spearheaded by...

The Dangerous Temptations of Gerrymandering

Apr 6, 2021 | Rollins College

To what lengths should one go to preserve the soul of their nation? As discussed by Russell Berman, the Democrats have an opportunity to protect their majority in the House of Representatives before...

What Is Populism? Is Donald Trump a Populist? How Does It Impact Democracy?

Apr 6, 2021 | Rollins College

Only 4 days after Election Day, with Joe Biden as the projected winner, Trump supporters took to the streets and social media in opposition. Despite Bidens’ win, Trump and his supporters have left...

Does the United States Serve as a Guide for Democracy?

Apr 6, 2021 | Rollins College

After President Joe Biden called for a Global Democracy Summit, other nations questioned the United States’ authority as a guide for democracy given its broken state. The United States and other...

COVID-19: Deadly Virus and Threat to Democracy

Apr 6, 2021 | Rollins College

For just over a year the world has been swept up in a pandemic. This pandemic has affected nearly every person on Earth in some way or another. According to the Economist in The Pandemic has Eroded...