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.

Italy’s Populist Experiment

Oct 14, 2022 | Boston University

The election of Italy's Giorgia Meloni brings to light decades old tensions between technocracy and democracy within EU countries. On September 26, 2022, Giorgia Meloni,...

Silenced: Detainment of Opposition Politicians in Benin

Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University

Prior to 2016, Benin was considered to be a very stable democracy. Between 1991, when it became a democracy, and 2016, Benin experienced many free and fair elections,...

The Ethics of Science, Protest, and Technology: Helpful or Harmful? By Emily Betancourt

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

Science may cause wars, although an extreme perspective, highly possible. The United States is subjective towards where they spend their dollars. However, they are quick on devoting expenditures...

A Broken System by Humza Usman

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

The American criminal justice system raises many concerns among ethnic minorities within this diverse country as we see rising reports of police brutality along with racial disparity in length of...

Venezuela vs. United States: Who’s Really in Control? By Brynn Kooyenga

Mar 9, 2019 | Suffolk University

On the three-year anniversary of the former Venezuelan President’s, Hugo Chávez, death I attended a discussion lead by the Massachusetts Peace Action organization at the Community Church of Boston....

Lexington | Diversity and its discontents

Mar 9, 2019 | Rollins College

The Economist February 23rd 2019 Donald Trump’s real target is not illegal immigration but a vast, unstoppable increase in diversity When Juan Garcia started work as an urban planner for the...

The Catalan Threat to Spanish Democracy by Joe Bodnar

Mar 9, 2019 | American University

General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship attempted to bury Catalan nationalism. After Franco’s death in 1975, Spain attempted to bury Francoism. With Franco’s remains settled in the Valley of the...

Why Aren’t the Swiss Voting? By Logan O’Neil At Suffolk University

Mar 9, 2019 | Suffolk University

Switzerland has often been thought of as a paragon of modern democracy, a position it has proudly held for a number of decades. The 2018 Freedom House report seems to agree as well, scoring the...

A Symptom and a Cause: Damaging Effects of Emigration on Moldovan Democracy by Heather Marshall

Mar 8, 2019 | Suffolk University

How can a country with a shrinking population hold its government accountable for corruption and fraud? How can a country with a corrupt and fraudulent government expect to keep its population?...

Communism in Nepal Threatens to Destroy the Democracy It Fought For by Salvatore Ragonese

Mar 7, 2019 | Suffolk University

Recent events in Nepal suggest that communism may be acting as an obstacle to the country’s democratic progress. According to the...

Japan Evades Populism but Sets the Stage for Future Trouble by Riham Amin

Mar 7, 2019 | American University

Over the past two decades nations around the world have collectively fallen into the hands of populist leaders. From the long-lasting global stronghold of the United States the developing upheaval...