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.

Louisiana v. Callais: The Silencing of African-American Representation and Political Opposition in the Trump Administration

On April 29th, 2026 the United States Supreme Court gave the decision for the case, Louisiana v. Callais, which ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map, which included two majority African American, and majority Democratic, districts, as unconstitutional, labeling...

U.S. Democracy Aid in Regards to Gatekeeping

This week, the State Department distributed roughly $177 million in Democracy Funds through 43 awards hours before a deadline and despite congressional concerns and requests not to. The money is typically used to fund authoritarian or limited democracies. Instead,...

Trump’s Long War on the American Electoral System: What Happens After Midterms?

Since his loss in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump has been diligently working to undermine the American electoral system. The events that occurred on January 6th are the most apparent examples of Trump’s efforts to attack the legitimacy of the voting...

Modern Day Scarlet Letter: Women in Afghanistan Being Shamed for Mens’ Actions

Jun 21, 2026 | Suffolk University

Modern Day Scarlet Letter: Women in Afghanistan Being Shamed for Men's Actions A 16 year old girl named Gulnaz was raped by her cousin’s husband and subsequently thrown in...

South Africa’s Democracy Isn’t Collapsing, It’s Quietly Eroding

May 18, 2026 | George Mason University

Democracies rarely die overnight. They decay slowly, often in plain sight for all to see. South Africa today is a good example of how democratic erosion can occur even...

American Intervention in Venezuela: An Erosion of Democratic Norms

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

American Intervention in Venezuela: An Erosion of Democratic Norms In the early hours of January 3, 2026, U.S. military forces conducted an “intervention” in Venezuela’s sovereign territory,...

Fragmenting the United States Post Dobbs Decision

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

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...

What Syria’s Attempted Political Transition Means For Democracy

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

Syria is not transitioning to democracy. It is stuck in a political system that prevents democracy from taking hold. That may sound obvious. But it isn't. Many discussions concerning Syria's future...

Control Over Media Narratives and Global Support for Ukraine

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

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....

When Discretion Replaces Equality: How Immigration Enforcement Threatens Democracy

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

When Discretion Replaces Equality: How Immigration Enforcement Threatens Democracy A democracy cannot survive if the law is enforced differently depending on who you are. Yet recent developments in...

Amnesty, an Age-Old Fix for Spain’s Deep Divide

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

"La Diada," a Catalan holiday, commemorates the surrender of Barcelona to Spanish forces in 1714 and the defeat of Catalan forces. As a result of this unfortunate incident in Catalan history, the...

Are you MAGA, even? How Polarization Ties Into Democratic Erosion

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

By definition, democracy requires multiple parties to function, but the proudest democracy of the modern age is facing issues as a direct result. The United States is currently experiencing one of...

Have The New Immigration Policies Made the United States Fall Into Democratic Erosion?

Mar 28, 2026 | Suffolk University

Have the New Immigration Policies Made the United States Fall Into Democratic Erosion? By Stephanie Moran Since Trump has become president of the United States, he and his administration have...

How Recent Discriminatory Kansas Legislation is Accelerating Democratic Backsliding in the U.S.

Mar 28, 2026 | Suffolk University

For many across the globe, the United States of America has long been the shining ideal of a free and democratic society. However, recent voter-suppressing legislation enacted in Kansas...