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.

These are student blog posts written by student participants in the Democratic Erosion Course. These posts were not written by nor represent the views of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate narratives and generate AI videos to publicly denounce the actions of one...

America Demoted to a “Flawed Democracy”

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

No longer the "Shining City Upon a Hill" as President Reagan proudly claimed in his parting note in 1989, the U.S. has been demoted from a "full democracy" to a "flawed...

Erosion of Democratic Norm in Trump’s America

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

The United States has long been perceived as the emblem of democracy, a perspective championed by millions of Americans. However, a closer examination of the Trump...

The Media as an Institution of Manipulation: From Direct and Legal Control to Indirect and Extralegal Manipulation

Dec 9, 2020 | Sabanci University

There are several discussions on the existing regime type of Turkey, but the recent literature and several democracy indicators treat Turkey as a competitive authoritarian regime. Like all...

Ethnic Oppression of Bulgarian Roma

Dec 9, 2020 | Williams College

Bulgaria, named an European Union (EU) member state in 2007, has been witnessing signs of democratic backsliding consistently since then. A strong democracy is one that respects all its people...

The Demise of Democracy: Threat of Autocracy in El Salvador

Dec 8, 2020 | Williams College

The scene in El Salvador’s legislature in February 2020 appeared to come straight out of a dictatorship: Armed Forces and National Civil Police troops armed with rifles and gear were ordered to...

America’s Two-Party Political System is Leading to Democratic Erosion

Dec 3, 2020 | University of Georgia

The United States of America needs a multi-party for the survival of its democracy, or it will continue its escalation of democratic erosion. The past two presidential elections in 2016 and 2020...

A 21st Century Threat: How Social Media Censorship Is Impacting Democracy in America

Dec 3, 2020 | University of Georgia

From the conception of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, freedom of speech has been a pillar of democracy in the United States. The rise of social media as a source of news information has...

Polarization: Does It Have to End Badly?

Dec 3, 2020 | University of Georgia

The Case of Chile North and south. Black and white. Up and down. Opposites do not always attract, and this is especially true in politics. Polar opposites typically leave no room to budge. Yet when...

Terrorism and Democracy in Burkina Faso

Dec 3, 2020 | University of Georgia

Rising terrorist attacks are continuing to threaten the fledgling Burkinabè democracy. After Burkina Faso overthrew its authoritarian leader Blaise Compaoré in 2014 and elected Roch Marc Christian...

The Failures of First Past the Post and Why Ranked Choice Voting is Not Necessarily Better

Dec 3, 2020 | University of Georgia

One of the more recent trends of modern politics has been calling to have the First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system abolished. If you happened to see my previous blog post, (thank you for...

How the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 Strips Filipinos of Their Freedom of Speech

Dec 3, 2020 | University of Georgia

President Rodrigo Duterte and his administration enforce the CPA and continue to arrest and endanger the lives of Filipinos all over a battle of free speech. The freedom of speech is a right that is...