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.

The house is burning from the inside out: American democracy is dying

” There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide” - James Adams. If the average empire fails at 250 years and America is 248 years old, could we say that the death of democracy was something foreseeable and the uprise in authoritarian form of government...

Demagogues: Turning America into the Child Left Behind

The emergence of technofascist demagogues in American politics pose a significant threat to democracy and education, highlighting the urgent need for critical thinking and informed choices to protect the nation’s future.

Germany’s Defense of Democracy

Populism is rising in Germany, with the far-right political party, Alternative for Germany, gaining more and more popularity that echo dangerous anti-democratic trends from Germany, raising concerns about the future of Germany’s democracy.

The Illusion of Democracy: The Clash Between Capitalist Interests and the Promise of Equality in American Politics

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Cyrus Sadr Professor Steven Rosenzweig Democratic Erosion 2/8/25 The Illusion of Democracy: The Clash Between Capitalist Interests and the Promise of Equality in American...

Egypt’s Path Towards Authoritarianism

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

There has been growing international interest in the case of Alaa Abd El Fattah, an Egyptian political prisoner whose sentence was arbitrarily extended by two years in...

Unraveling Mexico’s Democratic Backsliding: Navigating the AMLO Presidency and the Looming Shadow of His Populism

Apr 10, 2024 | Georgia State University

Andres Manuel López Obrador's presidency significantly shifted Mexico's political landscape. Elected in 2018 with a promise of transformative change under the MORENA party, AMLO's tenure has been...

The Divisive Force of Technological Polarization: Understanding the TikTok Ban

Apr 10, 2024 | Georgia State University

In the ever-evolving landscape of social media platforms, TikTok has captivated millions with its short-form videos and trend-setting content. However, beneath its entertaining surface lies a...

Sall’s Stealth Authoritarian: Senegal’s Election Delay

Apr 10, 2024 | Ursinus College

Senegal has been a democracy since 1960 when it first gained independence. It is one of the only countries in Africa to have never suffered a coup since their independence. Now, in the past month,...

Mythological history is undermining democracy: Considering a 2024 Trump Reelection

Mar 31, 2024 | American University

Trump winning reelection in 2024 poses an extreme threat to democracy because of the damage already done through his increasingly authoritarian discourse. Normalizing a lie through repetition...

The Houthis Campaign Against Corruption is a Threat to Yemen’s Survival

Mar 11, 2024 | American University

Houthis promote their own agenda at the expense of the Yemen Yemen has long suffered from the effects of European colonization as well as religious and cultural divides between its north and south....

Venezuela: Two leaders, one resource, no democracy

Mar 7, 2024 | William Jewell College

The story of Venezuela’s descent into autocracy is not one tale; it is two stories linked together by little more than a transfer of power and an overreliance upon the volatile oil industry to...

Democratic Erosion in Turkey Can Help Us Understand the Importance of Protecting Institutions in the Face of Extreme Polarization

Feb 28, 2024 | William Jewell College

For the first time since Democracy’s Third Wave in the late 20th century, the number of countries transitioning into democracies has been recently met with the same amount of countries backsliding,...

The Subtle Threat: Unraveling the Power of Propaganda in Modern Democracies

Feb 27, 2024 | American University

In today's complex information landscape, the insidious influence of propaganda poses a significant threat to the health of democracies worldwide. While often overlooked or dismissed as a relic of...

Democratic Erosion in Bolivia

Feb 27, 2024 | William Jewell College

The story of democratic erosion in Bolivia is not a normal case of democratic erosion. Often in analyzing democratic erosion, there is a clear cause and effect. The Bolivia case is not black and...