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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

Voter Suppression in Georgia is Destroying America’s Civic Culture

Oct 16, 2022 | Boston University

One of the surprises of the tumultuous 2020 Presidential Election was Georgia, a traditionally Republican state, turning blue in favor of Joe Biden. Biden would go on to win...

Oct 16, 2022 | Boston University

MAGA Republicans failed in 2020, but efforts are underway to make sure 2024 is a different story. November 7, 2020. Joseph Biden is determined by major news networks...

Is Democracy for ALL? by Aisha Tewfik

Apr 16, 2019 | Georgia State University

We have always been told that we are living in a democratic country, governed as democratic citizens by people whom we democratically elected. The question is has this always been the case and if...

U.S. vs. Them: Use of racism as a tool of Populism in Trump’s America by Katrina Ramkissoon

Apr 16, 2019 | Suffolk University

In the age of democracy erosion, we are beginning to see a rise of populism in global actors across the world. Political figures are now employing populist principles in order to stabilize their...

Macron: The Next Louis XVI? by Kennen Sparks

Apr 16, 2019 | Utah State University

The first protest against a fuel tax was on November 16th, 2018—at that time no one could have imagined that it would have ballooned into the largest series of protests in France since the infamous...

Bouteflika’s Departure: A New Chance for Democracy? by Noa Levin

Apr 16, 2019 | University of Chicago

On March 11, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria’s well-weathered president, announced that he would no longer be seeking a fifth term. The announcement came amidst widespread protests at the prospect of...

The Uighurs Are Proof that China is Growing more Undemocratic by the Day by Brooke Wayment

Apr 16, 2019 | Utah State University

The Uighurs are an ethnic minority group in China that speaks a different language and are generally unique in their cultural practices from the majority Han Chinese group. However, what...

Threats to State Level Democracy by Charles Mahoney

Apr 16, 2019 | Rollins College

This article was written mainly in response to the New York Times article "Wisconsin, Ground Zero for 2020 Politics, Looks Like a Tossup Again" written by Trip Gabriel, published April 4, 2019 The...

A Deepening Division in Liberal Democracy by Evangelina Wong

Apr 16, 2019 | Rollins College

Liberal democracy, as a fragile system of government, is being threatened and eroded in the United States by continued polarization and deep divisions between people that hinges on cultural and...

Use of discriminatory Voter Policy to suppress African Americans

Apr 15, 2019 | Rollins College

by Rajdeep Singh In response to: “The Black-White Wealth Gap Is Unchanged after Half a Century”, The Economist A liberal democracy is one that not only acts upon the desires of the...

The Danger of Populism – Lessons from Rwanda by Matt Willis

Apr 15, 2019 | Rollins College

For this post, I have read an article by Kennedy Ndahiro for The Atlantic, titled "In Rwanda, We Know All About Dehumanizing Language." The concepts elucidated by Ndahiro, a native Rwandan himself,...