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...

How Changes To Columbus’s LEAP Program Demonstrate the Strength’s Of Our Democratic System

Oct 13, 2024 | Ohio State University

Lead exposure is an urgent issue in Ohio. These last two weeks I had the opportunity to watch the Columbus City Council meeting discussing Columbus’ initiative to replace...

City Council and Solving Politics

Oct 11, 2024 | Ohio State University

Efficiency. Responsiveness. Order. They were all perfectly present in the 48th regular meeting of the Columbus City Council, an affair where proceedings were...

What Happens After an Autocrat Dies? Legacies of The Country Once A Democracy

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

As the democracies around the world started to take a regressive turn, the academic literature and policy agenda of many pay more attention to the subject of de-democratization. As more and more...

Fight Fire with Fire? – Hostage Diplomacy between the US and Iran

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

Coronavirus pandemic had impacted our daily lives as well as the international relations today. The impact of the pandemic, the fueling of democratic backsliding in certain liberal and electoral...

Some Monsters are Created by Good Will: How can South Korea’s Digital Surveillance Contribute Democratic Backsliding Overseas?

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

South Korea’s fight against the Covid-19 turns out to be worrisome! Not for being ineffective in combating the virus, but for a different story that I would like to tell. As a part of the fight...

The Ill Fate of Nicaragua

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

The lack of democracy and basic freedom in Nicaragua is not a new trend in the country. Over the last century, the country has experienced the invasion of the United States, dictatorship rule by a...

Social media as a tool to shape the government policies during the Covid-19 pandemic

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

Humanity is now facing one of the worst crises throughout the history. The negative effects of Covid-19 pandemic can be seen in countries’ health systems, economies and almost in every aspect of...

What the Pandemic can’t change: Turkey’s enduring crackdown on media

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

Turkey was already notorious for its growing liquidation in the country's media outlets. Erdogan’s strong men regime was pretty determined to not to provide even a glimmer of hope for the...

A Two Headed Lion: COVID-19 in Singapore

Apr 28, 2020 | Bilkent University

The coronavirus outbreak raises some interesting questions for the social scientists and the general public. Most importantly, why are some countries more successful than the others? Differentiation...

Virtual Town Hall: A New Means of Politics During the Pandemic

Apr 27, 2020 | Suffolk University

In a chaotic and confusing time like now, everything seems to be on hold. The COVID-19 pandemic has rattled the nation in ways no one could have ever imagined. Thousands of universities and schools...

Consolidating Power in a ‘Pandemic Democracy’: The Case of India

Apr 27, 2020 | Bilkent University

On 24th March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a major announcement, declared a nationwide lockdown for three weeks, adding that “Every state, union territory, village and district will be a part...