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.

Is it Elon Musk, Twitter, or the Already Growing Populism in the US?

Dec 27, 2022 | Sabanci University

Blog Post The Case of Hunter Biden’s Laptop Elon Musk recently bought Twitter, a social media platform that has over 200 million users worldwide. After his purchase Musk...

The Rise of Populism in Myanmar

Dec 26, 2022 | Sabanci University

When Aung San Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, Myanmar was seen as a specimen of change and of democratisation despite its long history of military rule. More...

Instability in Kyrgyzstan

Oct 15, 2020 | University of Georgia

In its 29 years of independence, Kyrgyzstan has seen more than its fair share of political turmoil. A former colony of the Russian empire, Kyrgyzstan gained its independence for the first time with...

Forget or Acknowledge? Can Spain Move Forward Without Acknowledging the Past?

Oct 15, 2020 | Brown University

What happens when a military coup fails? A possible answer, a nation can be thrown into civil war. In July 1936 a coalition of the Spanish Military attempted to swiftly overthrow the democratically...

Are Human Rights at Risk? A Deeper Look at Tennessee’s Newly Implemented Anti-Protest Law

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

Tennesseans have been protesting against systemic racism and police brutality since June, joining other states in demanding justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, two Black Americans killed by...

The Implications of the Increasing Politicization of Science in the U.S.

Oct 14, 2020 | Brown University

As an increasingly broad spectrum of issues start to become topics of partisan debate, it is important to examine the significance and implications of forcing these previously-neutral matters into...

Belarus: The Tale of the Stealthy Autocrat

Oct 14, 2020 | University of Georgia

Stalin. Hitler. Kim Jong-Il. These are all names that easily come to mind when one thinks of a dictatorship. People usually do not associate good things with these names. When someone says...

French Revolution Part II?

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

Photo above is a statue of Marianne, one of France’s biggest symbols who was considerably damaged during the yellow vest protests in 2018. Photo taken from the Huffington Post. France’s democratic...

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is Openly Whittling Away at Democracy

Oct 14, 2020 | Brown University

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is no friend to open democracy as exemplified by his interference with the judicial branch, meddling in elections, and his latest authoritarian actions in...

How the Polarizing Two Party System Will Put an Unfit Candidate in Office

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

The first debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, seemed like it was a shouting match between twelve year olds arguing at the playground. It has come to the point in the...

Ethiopia is Prosecuting the Opposition as the U.S. Turns a Blind Eye

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

Ethiopia’s democracy has been slowly backsliding. What started as a successful new era for leader Abiy Ahmed with sweeping government reforms and even a Nobel Peace Prize has dissolved into near...