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...

Attempted Coup in South Korea! Thwarted?

Feb 14, 2025 | Brown University

Abstract: South Korea faced an attempted coup in December by President Yoon Suk Yeol with the enactment of martial law. Fortunately the South Korean National Assembly and...

Javier Milei’s “War on Diversity” and Role In Argentina’s Democratic Erosion

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Argentinian president Javier Milei's recent so called "War on Diversity" has sparked mass protest, with the result being thousands taking to the streets. This comes as a...

Social Media Spreading Misinformation and Disinformation in American Society

Dec 2, 2020 | University of Georgia

As the technological 21st century continues to advance, social media platforms become more numerous and more influential in American society. Though the Constitution grants freedom of the press, the...

Viktor Orbán’s Emergency Powers Push Hungary Further Towards Autocracy

Dec 2, 2020 | University of Georgia

A lurking dictator in the making, Viktor Orbán and his right-wing nationalist Fidesz party are dismantling Hungarian democracy. Through the obstruction of checks and balances, election interference,...

Misdiagnosed: Why We Can’t Blame COVID-19 for Autocratic Consolidation

Dec 2, 2020 | Brown University

Many news outlets and humanitarian organizations have reported that the COVID-19 pandemic is presenting new and unparalleled levels of decline in freedom in countries around the world. Freedom House...

Democracy or Oligarchy?

Dec 2, 2020 | Brown University

As the election results in favor of Joe Biden are becoming officially certified, and the courts are consistently denying credence to Trump’s frivolous claims of election fraud, many Americans...

Kaczyński Causes Decline of Polish Democracy

Dec 1, 2020 | University of Georgia

After the fall of the communist Soviet Union in 1991, Poland was left to be a free country. Poland was at peace with their neighbors and had the opportunity to build a country off of democratic...

Anti-Immigration Rhetoric and Its Threat to Dutch Democracy

Dec 1, 2020 | University of Georgia

Some threats to democratic health might not be as blatant as one might think. Rather they could accompany regular developments such as a country’s immigration status. In recent years the Netherlands...

U.S. Trust on Elections

Dec 1, 2020 | University of Georgia

In the last 20 years, the United States has seen an increasing rise in the lack of trust in election results. Public trust in elections began to erode with the Supreme Court's decision in Gore v....

Aid War: Can Great Power Rivalry Be A Breeding Ground for African Democracy?

Dec 1, 2020 | Brown University

After decades of Cold War-era proxy conflicts between the United States and Soviet Union that ravaged nations across the developing world, an unofficial consensus emerged: Great power rivalries are...

Young Thai Protesters Risk it All for Democracy

Dec 1, 2020 | University of Georgia

Despite the eroding track record of so-called democracies across the globe, many nations are experiencing increased support for pro-democracy movements. Such is the case in Thailand, where a...