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...

Scapegoating and Civil Liberties: How the Ugandan Anti-LGBTQ Bill is Dragging Down Democracy

Nov 22, 2023 | Northeastern University

“Something evil has been put into society. We would be attacked, we would not be safe, Uganda is not safe”, says Diane, a young Ugandan woman forced to flee the country due...

American Democracy and the Censuring of Rashida Tlaib

Nov 22, 2023 | Northeastern University

On November 7th, in a 234-188 vote, the United States House of Representatives voted to censure Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib following Tlaib’s comments on the Israel-Hamas...

Alexis Tsipras Is Smarter Than You Think: A Response by Marianna Moulis

Mar 11, 2019 | Suffolk University

In January of 2019, journalist Yiannis Baboulias published an article titled: Alexis Tsipras Is Smarter Than You Think. The crux of his argument being that “Greece’s prime minister has...

How Corruption in Jamaica is Demoralizing Democracy by Amy Gagnon

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

In 2016, the Economist Intelligence Unit rated Jamaica as a “flawed democracy,” and since then has struggled to lose that title. This is mainly due to the rising corruption levels facing the...

Wanting to be like Europe: Albanian student movement offers hope for the future by Stiv Mucollari

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

Three decades ago students in Albania demanded change and protested the totalitarian communist regime that had ruled Albania since 1945. The student movement swelled and paralyzed the Albanian...

The Prespa Agreement: How North Macedonia’s Name Change is a Step Forward for Democracy by Emily Dichele

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

As of February 2019, Macedonia has officially changed their name to the Republic of North Macedonia after the signing of the Prespa agreement. The agreement between Greece and Macedonia required the...

The Putin Internet Paradox; Decreased Internet Freedom Could Lead to Liberalization in Russia by Jonathan Eckel

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

Putin’s reign of power in Russia has been augmented, in part, by his ever-increasing vice grip on independent media outlets and oppositional voices. Currently, Russia ranks 148th out of 180...

China’s “One country, two systems” policy: A threat to Taiwan’s democracy by Hoang Nguyen

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

From left to right: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US President Donald Trump. Photo: Financial Times Xi Jinping’s Ambition At the 19th Party Congress of the...

Taiwan’s Road to Freedom by Anna Meomutli

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

Republic of China, another name of Taiwan, is a quasi-independent state in the East Asian region that is showing the world that one can and will make it to freedom if people are connected by the...

Nickel and Dimed by Gabriel Moran

Mar 10, 2019 | Suffolk University

What does democratic backsliding mean for the U.S. economy when looking through the scope of other nondemocratic/backsliding countries? With abject poverty on the decline, and industrialization of...

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...