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.
You Can’t Sit with Us: The Practice of Democratic Gatekeeping and How It Has Saved Democracies
The Erosion of an Already Weak Democracy: The Rise and Fall of Jovenel Moïse
Undermining the Feedback Loop: How Trump’s Educational Policies Hinder Democratic Accountability
Georgia’s Politically Motivated Convictions
Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University
The country of Georgia, located at the border of Europe and Asia, has recently seen a major constriction of civil liberties. Once a member of the Soviet Union, Georgia is...
Instability: The New Bulgarian Status Quo
Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University
Much like the constant state of Israeli politics in recent years, Bulgarians voted on October 2nd for the fourth time in less than two years. The snap election, triggered by...
Thailand’s Democratic Erosion by Meagan Abbey @UCLA
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
Will Thailand's Dream of Political Stability Come True? In 1932, Thailand was finally released from the grasp of an absolute monarchy. Once freed from the reigns of the monarchy , Thailand formed a...
Kenya’s 2017 Presidential Election. Democracy or Nah? By Darius Aikens @UCLA
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
In the fall of 2017 the people of Kenya had the opportunity to elect a new president. This election was supposed to be one of the most democratic elections that this country has had. However,...
Is China’s Termination of Term Limits A Threat to Democracy? by Isabella Guerra @ the University of California, Los Angeles
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
This past Sunday China’s National People’s Congress voted in an overwhelmingly majority to abolish its presidential term limits, allowing China’s current presidential leader, Xi Jinping, to remain...
The Kremlin’s Quest for Another Term by “Rechelle Dennis” @ University of California, Los Angeles
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
This Sunday, Russia will be holding their presidential elections. Incumbent President Vladimir Putin is projected to win another term in a landslide which would bring his political reign to nearly a...
Modi’s populist tactics are detrimental to democratic improvement in India by Kishan Patel- UCLA
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
Populist leaders have recently been on the rise and have been everywhere in certain events of political history. Populist leaders seek political hegemony with an anti elitist mentality that...
Maduro is No Chávez: Death of Demoracy in Venezuela by Adja Hudson @ University of California, Los Angeles
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
Since 2012, Venezuela’s economic condition has been on a downward spiral and the country is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. The political climate has worsened as democracy is continually...
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
Many argue that Venezuela’s current state of democracy is directly linked to Hugo Chavez’s leftovers as a 15 year president. Specifically, Chavez’s changes of the political agents in power are...
How Hugo Chavez killed Democracy in Venezuela
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
Hugo Chavez was Venezuela’s most successful president and democracy’s worst nightmare. His socialist rhetoric and policies were the catalyst for a devastating democratic backslide in Venezuela....
Analyzing the Democratic Erosion in Turkey by Joshua Varela @ University of California, Los Angeles
Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles
On July 15, 2016, an event occurred in Turkey that rarely occurs in mature democracies. The Turkish armed forces initiated a coup d’état against Turkish governmental institutions, namely Turkish...