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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Fragmenting the United States Post Dobbs Decision

In 1973, the United States Supreme Court made a landmark decision in Roe v. Wade to legalize abortion prior to fetal viability, prohibiting any state bans. At the beginning of the 1900s, abortion was illegal in every state in America. During the 60s and 70s, states...

What Syria’s Attempted Political Transition Means For Democracy

A dive into Syria transitional democracy period.

Control Over Media Narratives and Global Support for Ukraine

Control Over Media Narratives and Global Support for Ukraine The Russian Ukrainian Conflict is a prime example of the modern decline in democracy globally, though not in the ways one might expect. Through this conflict, we see the power struggle of the media and the...

A 2024 Rematch: Will it be the Authoritarian or the Genocide-Enabler?

May 10, 2024 | American University

With the grim results of Super Tuesday, we face the catastrophic choice between Trump, espousing authoritarian ideology, and Biden, a now genocide-enabler. “Democracies...

Democracy in Decay:

May 8, 2024 | American University

Analyzing Democratic Backsliding in Narendra Modi’s India India is one of the world's most diverse and populated nations, with a revolutionary past and a promising future of...

Revolutions in Belarus: A New Strategy for Fighting New Authoritarians?

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

On August 8, 2020, Belarusians flocked to the polls to vote in their most contested presidential election since 1994. Going into the election, the incumbent, Alexander Lukashenka received a torrent...

Polarization in the Media

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

Many US citizens currently live in the era of slanted media. Citizens question the legitimacy of the US government and opposing parties, and this has caused the quality of democracy to decline. The...

International Trade: The Looming Executive

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

In 2016, the election of Donald Trump heralded in an age of unprecedented domestic anxiety. The electorate was bitterly divided between the perception of the president as the downfall and the savior...

Why Gerrymandering Is a Danger to American Democracy

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

On June 27, 2019, the US Supreme Court gave its ruling on two significant cases called Lamone v. Benisek and Rucho v. Common Cause. The reason why I am linking these two Supreme Court cases together...

Interference at the Ballot Box: Why Voter Suppression Isn’t Just a Swing State Problem

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

News stories on voter suppression have been a common sight during this election cycle. In early October, Texas governor Greg Abbott (R) ordered that each county will have only one ballot drop box...

Tipping the Scales: The Judicial System as an Inadequate Safeguard Against Democratic Erosion

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

All eyes are on Amy Coney Barrett and Congress this week as the Senate prepares to confirm a Supreme Court justice just days before the election. This would be the third Trump SCOTUS nominee to...

“Court-Packing” and Saving American Democracy

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

On December 21, 2018, news organizations ran abuzz with a bomb report — Ruth Bader Ginsburg had been re-diagnosed with cancer. The BBC published this headline: Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Liberal America...

Threats to the Judiciary in the United States: Looking Beyond the Executive

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

Despite not having grown up in the US, for virtually all my life I’ve heard about the robustness of American democracy, including –...

North Korea as a Populist Regime

Oct 23, 2020 | University of Chicago

The political structure of a country is often presented on a spectrum; it is the degree of democracy or autocracy rather than a dichotomous classification. [1] For sure, many scholars have argued...