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.

Italian Neo-Fascism’s Rise and Return to Government

Dec 20, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Italy’s general election saw the country elect its first Neo-Fascist Premier since Mussolini in a considerable victory, In which Georgia Meloni of the Brotherhood of Italy...

Democratic Erosion and a Coup in Myanmar

Dec 20, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Democratic Erosion and a Coup in Myanmar Myanmar, or Burma, is a Southeast Asian country that neighbors Thailand. It is a nation now-controlled by its military. Prior to...

Will the People Be Heard: Can the Ongoing, Belarusian Protests Successfully Deliver a Lukashenko Resignation?

Oct 13, 2020 | University of Georgia

More than 60 days of non-violent protests have followed the August Belarusian elections. This piece examines the history of the development and if there is a credible argument that the ongoing...

Consensual Prostitute, Victim, or Trafficker?: The Ambiguous Position of Migrant Sex Workers in Tapachula, Mexico

Oct 13, 2020 | Brown University

At the southern corner of Mexico’s Pacific coast lies Tapachula, Chiapas, a bustling city of over 300,000 and one of Mexico’s major prostitution hubs. A stone’s throw from Guatemala, Tapachula is...

Abiy Ahmed: Democratic Leader or Burgeoning Autocrat?

Oct 13, 2020 | Brown University

The West is quick to pigeonhole African leaders as corrupt authoritarians or the “next” Nelson Mandela. Ethiopia under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed epitomizes the complexities of categorizing...

How Current Incumbents Are Using the COVID- 19 Pandemic To Suppress Voters

Oct 13, 2020 | University of Georgia

The manner in which states show democratic erosion tendencies differs today than in the past. Democratic erosion today is much more gradual. According to Nancy Bermeo, pre- election day...

Coronavirus’ Chinese Paradox: Crushing or Renewing Hopes for Democratization?

Oct 13, 2020 | Brown University

In the past twenty years, the world has been asking itself “will China democratize”? However, the Chinese Communist Party under President Xi has been doing so well that the debate had died down…...

A Shadow Pandemic: Domestic Violence Exacerbated by COVID-19

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

While COVID-19 has transformed life internationally, a “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence is occurring simultaneously (Godoy). Social isolation, as a result of self-quarantine and government...

The Culprit in Chile: The Living Legacy of U.S. Imperialism

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

On October 2, a police officer pushed a teenage protestor off a bridge in Santiago, Chile. This is only the most recent act of brutality in the now yearlong pro-democracy protests in Chile. Citizens...

Reshuffling “Bad Apples”: Mexico’s Issue With Security

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) and his promises of maintaining security have been minimal at best as Mexico reached an all-time high of homicides in 2019 and has experienced recent increased...

Beyond Electoral Fraud: Rooting Bolivia’s Coup in a History of Clientelism and Repression

Oct 12, 2020 | Brown University

The Bolivian coup d’etat against Evo Morales was not, and should not be examined solely as, the result of a fraudulent election. To suggest this erases the deep entrenchment of Bolivia’s neo-fascist...