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...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate narratives and generate AI videos to publicly denounce the actions of one...

Legitimating Authority Through Elections: Orbán’s Hungary

Jan 3, 2024 | Sabanci University

Hungary, a country which transitioned to democracy fairly peacefully after years of Soviet pressure and communist rule, now struggles with authoritarianism and its effects....

From Populism to Restoration: Ecuador’s Political (R)evolution

Jan 2, 2024 | University of Pennsylvania

In recent years, Ecuador has witnessed a complex interplay between democracy and the rise of populism, a phenomenon that has captured the attention of political analysts and...

It Wasn’t Always This Way: How Republicans Went from Gatekeepers of Democracy to Promoters of Populism by Kyle Friant

Apr 4, 2019 | Utah State University

Antipathy to liberal democracy has become a staple of the modern incarnation of the Republican Party, a move that is detrimental to the entire international community. In a myriad of examples over...

A New Age of Politics in El Salvador by Olivia Kesselring

Apr 4, 2019 | Saint Louis University

37 year old Nayib Bukele, wearing his signature blue jeans and leather jacket, was democratically elected president of El Salvador in February of 2019, ushering in a new era of politics for the...

Evo Morales’s 2019 Presidential Run and How We Got Here by Brett Jones

Apr 4, 2019 | Saint Louis University

Not many would disagree, international observers and Bolivians alike, that this upcoming election in Bolivia will be a fork in the road for the country and the state of its democracy. The election...

Tunisia, the Exception or the Expected? By Paige Cook

Apr 4, 2019 | Saint Louis University

Tunisia was the first of all the Arab states to experience popular uprisings and political upheaval in 2011. In fact, it was the initial domino to the Arab uprisings. On December 17, 2010 a young...

EU Suspends Hungary’s Fidesz Party from European Parliament by John Barrett

Apr 3, 2019 | Saint Louis University

Since Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party took control of Hungary’s government in 2010, they have increasingly made strides towards limiting the prospects of democracy in the country....

Freedom of the Press: A Political Super Power

Apr 3, 2019 | Utah State University

The media is the main source of information concerning current events and politics, because of this it has a lot of power to influence the minds of its viewers, for better or for worse. In the...

How Rap Battles Factored into The Thai Election by: Susmitha Chinni

Apr 3, 2019 | Saint Louis University

Hip hop and rap in its origins is about fighting for the under-dog, economic struggles, and being direct with messages. As a genre of music, rap is founded for young people who can think critically,...

Pelosi’s Statement of Impeachment Has Farther Reaching Implications than Originally Thought by Collin Swords

Apr 3, 2019 | Rollins College

Under Article I of the Constitution, the House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach and the Senate the power to try and judge the case. The case of impeachment can only extend to the...

Proposed Anti-LGBT Laws Spark Backlash in Tennessee by Andrew Phifer

Apr 2, 2019 | University of Memphis

With the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, what most activists see as the birth of the gay rights movement in the United States, mere months away, it looks as if Tennessee...