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...

Executive Power: The Growing Threat to Democracy

Apr 23, 2025 | University of Memphis

Executive Power: The Growing Threat to Democracy We have learned about it, and if you are a citizen of the United States of America, you have lived in it all your life. When...

Will the Measles Outbreak turn into Another Pandemic Similar to Covid-19?

Apr 21, 2025 | University of Memphis

Will the measles outbreak turn into another pandemic similar to Covid-19? We all remember how Covid-19 shut the world down. It affected every facet of our lives. If the...

Hungary’s Democratic Decline

Nov 30, 2021 | University of Georgia

COVID-19 has plagued the world over the past year and a half. The pandemic caused countries to impose border closures and the utilization of mass digital surveillance, moves that may have once been...

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: What the January 6th Committee Reveals about American Democracy

Nov 30, 2021 | Suffolk University

For many Americans, the events of January 6th will serve as a reminder of democracy’s darkest days. When verbal assaults on America’s democratic system turned physical, it marked a significant...

A Perspective on Poland’s Democracy

Nov 30, 2021 | University of Georgia

After the fall of the Soviet communist bloc throughout Eastern Europe many pro-democratic social movements sprung from the...

Mass Protest is the Key for Ukraine in Resisting Democratic Erosion

Nov 30, 2021 | Georgia State University

The Orange Revolution in 2004 showed Ukraine’s longing for democracy with massive peaceful demonstrations which prevailed against attempts to thwart a democratic election (Dickinson 2020). Ukraine...

Mohammed bin Salman’s “Army of Flies”: Saudi Arabia’s Creative Spread of Disinformation and Attack on Political Dissidence

Nov 30, 2021 | University of Georgia

The "Army of Flies" and the Spread of Disinformation Millions of citizens in Saudi Arabia interact on Twitter daily, and pro-democracy advocates originally argued that social media could increase...

Democratic Erosion University Course Student Blog

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Executive Power: The Growing Threat to Democracy

Will the Measles Outbreak turn into Another Pandemic Similar to Covid-19?

Hungary’s Democratic Decline

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: What the January 6th Committee Reveals about American Democracy

A Perspective on Poland’s Democracy

Mass Protest is the Key for Ukraine in Resisting Democratic Erosion

Mohammed bin Salman’s “Army of Flies”: Saudi Arabia’s Creative Spread of Disinformation and Attack on Political Dissidence

El Salvador and Democratic Erosion: The Consequences and Origins of Bukele’s Presidency

Bolivia: Where Do We Go From Here?

The AfD vs. German History

Mexico’s Democracy, on the Path to Autocratization?

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