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.

Hong Kong, mass protests and their fight against autocratization

Jan 4, 2023 | Sabanci University

In Hong Kong, an unusual kind of protesting started in 2014. Marked by singing and yellow umbrellas, quickly the young students that represented Hong Kong’s peaceful...

Burkina Faso: a 2022 marked by coups d’état

Jan 4, 2023 | Sabanci University

The two military coups occurred in 2022 in Burkina Faso lead to some conclusions about the development of authoritarian systems On 29 November 2015, general elections were...

Looking Beyond the SHIELD ACT: American Responses to Foreign Intervention Are Too Limited in Scope

Oct 19, 2020 | University of Chicago

Reforms proposed in the SHIELD ACT to limit foreign financial contributions in the 2020 election are insufficient to protect electoral integrity. Foreign agents have other political tools at their...

Subjugating the Fourth Branch: the Case of Public Media in the Polish Presidential Election

Oct 19, 2020 | University of Chicago

On June 13th 2020, the incumbent Andrzej Duda secured another 5 years in office as the president of the Republic of Poland. After a fierce battle and with a mere 400 thousand votes of advantage, he...

Thriving in the Time of Corona: New Zealand’s Exemplary COVID-19 Response

Oct 19, 2020 | Williams College

New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 epidemic under the leadership of Jacinda Ardern and the labour party has arguably been the best in the world. The strength of a government can be defined by...

Cancel Nation: How Cancel Culture Undermines Democratic Discourse Through Self-Censorship

Oct 19, 2020 | Williams College

Now more than ever, people are scared to say what they really think. Whether at dinner tables, at work, or in classrooms, our social interactions have devolved into fear: fear of what other people...

Youth of Today: Diverse, Interconnected, and a Driving Force for Change

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

The influence of the youth in activist movements is not a novel phenomenon. Movements in the United States, Hong Kong, Thailand, and many other countries have seen youth at the forefront of their...

How the American Left Hurts Itself in the Battle for Democracy

Oct 19, 2020 | Williams College

Democracy in the United States is slowly collapsing under the weight of hyper-partisanship and demagoguery. Enabled by the Republican Party, Donald Trump has placed an incredible amount of strain on...

Misinformation Threats via Social Media Bots in the U.S.

Oct 19, 2020 | University of Georgia

Fake news could be one of the most potentially harmful things to democracy. With the presence of social media platforms growing more and more within the field of politics each day, there has...

Hartsfield’s Landing

Oct 19, 2020 | Suffolk University

In a recent reunion episode of The West Wing, the original cast got together in an empty Los Angeles theater to re-enact “Hartsfield’s Landing” - an episode from the third season of the show on the...