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.

Corruption vs. The Fight for Democratic Resilience: The Threat of Ukraine’s Corruption Scandal to EU Membership and Democratic Integrity

Exploring the direct effects of Ukraine’s energy corruption scandal on the stability of their democracy.

Shameless Politics: How Scandal Lost Its Power in America

As scandal after scandal fails to draw consequences, a new political logic has taken hold—one where shamelessness isn’t a liability but a governing strategy.

Recent Anti-Fico Protests Might Indicate a Positive Future for Slovakia’s Democracy

On November 17th, 2025, Slovakian citizens in Bratislava protested and slammed their leaders, specifically Prime Minister, Robert Fico, with chants such as: “We have enough of Fico”, “Resign”, and the motto of the Velvet Revolution: “Truth and love must prevail over...

Donald Trump’s Populism Influence on the January 6th Storming of the Capitol

Apr 10, 2023 | Rollins College

Photo by Jane Norman (2021) https://lailluminator.com/2021/05/19/u-s-house-oks-commission-to-probe-capitol-attack-but-mcconnell-objections-may-doom-it/ January 6th,...

Why the ATF’s Pistol Brace Ruling Hurts

Apr 10, 2023 | University of Utah

On the January 13th, 2023 the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives signed a new rule that could make millions of Americans felons overnight. Rule 2021R-08F...

Playing Nice

Oct 24, 2019 | University of Memphis

Show Me What Democracy Looks Like Republicans and Democrats are gravitating away from the center, but Republicans are moving farther faster. It is hard to point a finger like this and still come...

The Democratic and Geopolitical Repercussions of US Withdrawal from Syria

Oct 23, 2019 | Salem State University

The departure of US forces from Syria serves as a capitulation to authoritarian forces and as a death knell to any hope of democratic peace brokering. President Trump’s decision to withdraw US...

Why Is Hong Kong More Important than Jakarta?

Oct 18, 2019 | Salem State University

Does America's political position in the world alter US media? Do current events have to serve a particular political agenda in order to be reported in the U.S? The coverage or lack there of,...

Democratically Wrong: Examining the Authority of Democratic Decisions

Oct 17, 2019 | Salem State University

The pressing political issues of today raise important political questions regarding the value of democratic decisions. Following the most recent Democratic Party debate, the right-side of the...

Trade Disputes Weaken More than Alliances

Oct 17, 2019 | Salem State University

Can a weakened market weaken the foundation of democracy? The strength of democracy is in the people, but if the people loose faith in democracy what could happen? The trade war between the US and...

The Trouble in North Carolina

Oct 17, 2019 | Salem State University

How anti-democratic measures are eroding democratic norms in North Carolina In the book How Democracies Die, Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky argue that backsliding governments may reject the...

The World’s Biggest Democracy in an Undemocratic Light

Oct 16, 2019 | Salem State University

India, the world’s biggest democratic government, is facing serious challenges to its democracy. To the North, in Kashmir, civil strife is rampant. China, Pakistan, and India all lay claim to parts...

Netanyahu: Pushing the Limits of Democracy

Oct 15, 2019 | Salem State University

The September 2019 parliamentary elections in Israel raise concern about the future of democracy in the country. The Blue and White party, created just this year, ran neck and neck with the...

The 2019 elections in Israel: Evidence of democratic backsliding?

Jun 7, 2019 | Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

On May, 9, 2019, elections to the Israeli parliament—the Knesset—were once again conducted. By and large, as on all previous occasions, they were competitive, free, and fair. During the campaigns,...