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...

Democratization and Federalism in Myanmar: Shifting Power Dynamics after the 2021 Military Coup

Oct 11, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Introduction Myanmar's struggle for democracy and federalism has spanned 75 years since its independence in 1948, and it remains an ongoing challenge. The country requires...

Ongoing Tensions and Ceasefire Efforts in the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Oct 10, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Fire and smoke rise following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City.Credit: Fatima Shbair/AP Recent Condition in the Israel-Palestine Conflict As the conflict between Israel and...

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...

Trump’s Attacks on Electoral Institutions Raise Red Flags for Democracy

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

The Republican party is actively enabling Trump to disregard the rules of our democracy by pushing a supreme court nominee hastily through the confirmation process during an ongoing election, and by...

A Thousand Worthless Words: How U.S Presidential Debates Fail To Provide a Democratic Service

Oct 14, 2020 | Northeastern University

Tuning into the first presidential debate of 2020, one could easily think CBS was gearing up to show the next WWE Super Showdown. The dramatic opening music, intense lighting and garish graphics...

Is Correa’s Ban From Future Elections Undemocratic?

Oct 14, 2020 | Brown University

On September 7, the former president of Ecuador Rafael Correa was banned from running for office in the upcoming 2021 elections. Correa’s supporters (also known as Correístas) view the...