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.

The Erosion of an Already Weak Democracy: The Rise and Fall of Jovenel Moïse

Jovenel Moïse's presidency marked a dangerous shift from Haiti's already shaky democracy to overt authoritarianism. Delayed elections, unchecked abuse of executive power, and violent suppression of resistance became the norm. By the time of his assassination in 2021,...

Undermining the Feedback Loop: How Trump’s Educational Policies Hinder Democratic Accountability

In a larger trend of censoring opinions which the Trump administration views as undesirable, the Trump administration’s actions towards schools and universities has a negative impact on democracy as a whole. Such a system depends on the free transmission of...

Democracy Six Feet Under: How Disinformation is Burying Philippine Democracy Alive

Philippine democracy is in great danger once again now that the two families who benefited the most from disinformation – the Marcoses and Dutertes, are in power and have turned against one another. As both camps sling disinformation against each other, the...

How the Belt and Road Initiative is Spreading Authoritarianism

Oct 30, 2023 | Salem State University

By Luciano Hoxhaj In 2013, President Xi Jinping of China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a project that has seen the development of Chinese physical and...

Dying Democracy in Israel

Oct 30, 2023 | Arizona State University

***Note from the author: My post is meant to analyze constructively the state of democratic institutions in Israel and remark on how the current conflict affects this. It is...

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...

A Civil Liberty For All?: The Truth About Voter Suppression

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

Voter turnout has been studied for decades. Demographics of voting and registered voters changes with every election, presidential or not, each vote is counted for a statistic. Now, in saying that,...

Trump and Democratic Backsliding in the United States

Nov 22, 2020 | Northeastern University

President Trump is a major source of democratic backsliding in the U.S.; it is time that he accepts defeat in the 2020 election. “What they’re doing is using COVID to steal an election. They’re...

The Slow Decline of Tunisian Democracy

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

On December 18th, 2010, a Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in response to the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation inflicted upon him by...

Is the Electoral College Truly a Representation of the United States People?

Nov 22, 2020 | Suffolk University

On November 3rd, the entire United States and other countries looked towards the government, focusing on President Donald Trump and Candidate Joe Biden. Ballot counting, electoral college votes, and...