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.

Food Security is Rooted Abroad

Global fertilizer supply chains connect geopolitical events abroad to food production at home in ways most consumers don’t see.

The Meaning of Silence : What the moment of silence for Melissa Hortman says about American democracy

On June 14, 2025, the lives of Melissa Hortman who was a House speaker in Minnesota and her husband Mark were taken in what authorities believe to be a politically motivated act of violence. The same day Senator John Hoffman and his wife were also shot and...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Tyranny? You mean, Unity?: The Fateful Alliance of the Marcos-Duterte Clans in the Philippines

May 23, 2024 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

“Bagong Pilipinas, Bagong Mukha!”, (trans: New Philippines, New Face) the battle cry of the 2022 Marcos-Duterte campaign jingle echoed throughout the nation as the...

All the Web’s a Stage: New Media, Micro-Celebrities, and Fake News in the Philippines

May 21, 2024 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

“Celebrity” in Philippine politics can manifest in more ways than one. Most notoriously, celebrity makes itself evident when film and television stars participate in...

Proceed with Caution: Predictions of Democratization Prospects in Sudan by Anne Della Guardia

May 3, 2019 | Georgetown University

Just last month Omar al-Bashir’s ouster shocked the world. And with good reason: it’s naturally shocking when a dictator who has held power for three decades is deposed non-violently. But it...

Is Democratic Erosion caused by the System or “We The People” by Kayode Babatunde

May 2, 2019 | Georgia State University

This country has come a long way, a country that was built on the back of immigrants, fought for by immigrants and developed by immigrants....

Democracy in Mongolia: “Oasis of Democracy” Backsliding? by Jocelyn Best-Silva

May 2, 2019 | Georgia State University

In January, the speaker of the Mongolian Parliament was removed from office after large scale protests over political corruption. Just two years ago, their Parliament also removed the Prime Minister...

The Road Ahead: Democratic Reconstruction in a Post-Transition Venezuela by Colton Wade

May 2, 2019 | Georgetown University

Under the world’s gaze, two individuals have spent the last three months engaged in a binary struggle for power in Venezuela—Juan Guaidó, the interim president, and Nicolás Maduro, the de facto...

Democratic Backsliding in the Visegrad Group Threatens European Union’s Future by Simon Machalek

May 2, 2019 | Georgetown University

The Visegrad Group, also known as V4 — a cultural and political alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia — used to be seen as a prime example of how countries with an...

Coup or Rescue? Juan Guaido’s Bid for the Venezuelan Presidency by Meghan Ward

May 1, 2019 | University of Chicago

“The moment is now” — this was the rallying cry Juan Guaido issued to the people of Venezuela in a video he released on Tuesday. Standing alongside military supporters who defected to him from...

Brexit: a Symptom of Democratic Erosion

Apr 30, 2019 | Georgia State University

The term “Brexit” refers to the decision made by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. This decision was made in June of 2016. The European Union is a group of 28 European Countries that...

Gaining Power Through Corruption: A Threat to Democracy in Elections

Apr 30, 2019 | Georgia State University

by Kyli Powe In democratic elections, voters have the right to voice their disapproval of the government freely and to bring different procedures as well as candidates to the forefront. When these...

Pernicious Polarization and Disappearing Centers– The Subsequent Democratic Backsliding Impact in Turkey

Apr 30, 2019 | Sacramento State University

By Maya Ramirez Turkey these days, in particular, is one of the most socially and politically polarized societies in the world. The secular versus the religious conservatives being the most...