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.

Conspiracy Theories and the 2020 United States Elections

Dec 4, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

On January 6, 2021, the American public received a startling reminder of the effects of conspiracy theories. As a direct result of President Trump’s conspiratorial rhetoric,...

Ortega’s Obstruction of Fair Process in Nicaragua

Dec 4, 2022 | SUNY-Binghamton

Nicaragua is a coastal country in Central America founded in 1821 after gaining independence from Spain,...

The Downfalls of Gate-keeping: What Bernie Sanders Dropping out of the election says about the Pitfalls of American Democracy

Apr 12, 2020 | Boston University

Trump’s tumultuous election in 2016 left half of the country shell shocked. However, the election was not as abnormal as it was originally depicted as but rather the result of years of two party...

The Politicization of The US Judicial System Empowers Authoritarianism

Apr 12, 2020 | Georgia State University

When the Founding Fathers created the U.S. government, they wanted to remove the chance of a tyrannical king ever taking hold of the government. An important stopgap from this...

Paranoid Politics in the US Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Apr 11, 2020 | Boston University

With the global pandemic of COVID-19 virtually shutting down the entire country and disrupting our way of life, the United States, and in particular President Donald Trump, have evoked the paranoid...

The UK’s Coronavirus Failure

Apr 11, 2020 | Boston University

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has thrown the entire world for a loop, no country has been unaffected by its strength and ability to spread. The virus has shown no mercy in who it affects- the wealthy...

As the Coronavirus Spreads—So Does Democratic Erosion

Apr 11, 2020 | American University

Amidst the onset of an economic recession in 2008, the Wall Street Journal quoted former Mayor of Chicago Rahm Emmanual with his now-infamous phrase, “You never want a serious crisis to go to...

Gnashing of Teeth: Abandonment and Insecurity in American Prisons

Apr 10, 2020 | American University

Theorists use a range of scales to identify the turning points of democratization and de-democratization. Some prefer to focus on political rights, as in the difference between citizens in a...

Echoes of 1933: Viktor Orban takes advantage of the Coronavirus crisis to declare absolute power in Hungary

Apr 9, 2020 | Boston University

The handling of the current COVID-19 global pandemic has had varying effects on nations across the globe, but in Hungary, it could spell the end of democracy. The current ruling party in Hungary is...

Viktor Orban’s Pandemic Power Grab: Exploring How Populists Exploit Disasters to Edge Out Democracy

Apr 9, 2020 | Boston University

The COVID-19 pandemic is holding up a magnifying glass to the fragility of not only Hungary’s healthcare system but its already besieged democracy. In 2008, far-right populist Viktor Orban captured...

The Wisconsin Primary Election: The Choice Between Health and Democracy

Apr 9, 2020 | Boston University

We have all heard the phrase “This is the most important election of our lifetime.” This time probably more than ever. But even more popular these days is a version of, “This is an unprecedented...