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.

Trump vs. Media: The Never Ending Crusade

In advanced liberal democracies such as the United States, democratic erosion does not come in one fell swoop. Often, norms, checks and balances, and foundational features of democracy are gradually chipped away at as to lessen resistance, comparable to a frog being...

Donald Trump’s Trade Wars and Their Implications on US Vertical Accountability

Just recently Donald Trump visited Dayton, Ohio, a region which is defined by the prevalence of their manufacturing sector, and which has seen negative impacts from ever increasing US reliance on manufactured imports. As a result of the blowbacks from increased...

From Reformer to Authoritarian

How is Zambia’s Current President Showing Signs of Democratic Backsliding In Zambia, Election Day occurs on the 2nd Thursday of August every 5 years to elect the President and Vice President. To be elected president in Zambia, a candidate must receive more than 50% of...

Red Flag in Nepal: PM Oli Considers Law to Weaken Opposition

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

“Hitler, who dreamed of conquering the world, was alone when he died. Therefore, abandon the Hitler style.”...

Erosion of Media Freedom is a Sign of Things to Come in Zambia

Nov 4, 2024 | Ohio State University

Over the past decades, Zambia has been met with democratic erosion that has spread around the globe. Many aspects of a once functioning democracy are being pulled back such...

Turkey’s invasion of Syria: A democratic crisis

Dec 5, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Ras al-Ayn bombing on October 10, 2019. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. When United States President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of American troops in northern Syria in October, chaos and...

The Trump of the Tropics

Dec 4, 2019 | Salem State University

How Bolsonaro takes Trump's extremes to the extreme On the rise of a certain president, Brian Winter, editor in Chief of Americas Quarterly, remarks that, in a politically divisive election year, “…...

In the Philippines, the biggest threat to press freedom is Duterte

Dec 3, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

President Rodrigo Duterte. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Ten years ago, on November 23, 2009, 58 people—32 of them journalists—were brutally killed in the sleepy and impoverished town of...

Japan’s Democracy under Abe: National Security over Civil Liberties?

Dec 3, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press, and all other forms of expression are guaranteed. No censorship shall be maintained nor shall the secrecy of any means of communication...

South Korea’s Kind of Populism

Dec 3, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

“The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in the people and the authority shall emanate from the people.”-Section 2, Article 1, Chapter 1, Constitution of the Republic of Korea Populism...

Severity of Curtailing Press Freedom in the Philippines: Is history repeating itself?

Dec 2, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Article 3, Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines states that “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of the speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right...

Duterte’s Metamorphosis: From an Illiberal Democrat to an Authoritarian?

Dec 2, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Metamorphosis, a Greek word that means transformation in structure or substance by supernatural means. Like butterflies, “democratic” leaders have life stages too. Some leaders start as an illiberal...

Rebirth of Democracy or a More Chaotic Political Crisis in Bolivia?

Dec 2, 2019 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

The tension is still high and Morales’ supporters were claiming that Evo Morales was a victim of a coup drawn by the military and political enemies (right-wing politicians). The possibility of an...

The Courts & Democratic Erosion

Dec 2, 2019 | Salem State University

The political battlegrounds for the America’s courts spilt into national news coverage once more this past weekend when 86-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was briefly...