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.

Demagogues: Turning America into the Child Left Behind

The emergence of technofascist demagogues in American politics pose a significant threat to democracy and education, highlighting the urgent need for critical thinking and informed choices to protect the nation’s future.

Trump’s Evolved Form of Populism Works… and Hurts.

President Donald Trump’s second term in office has brought forth a more evolved form of populism; by incorporating authoritarian methods of governing with populist tactics, Trump is doing significant damage to America’s democracy.

The Judicial Branch’s Downfall

By ruling with bias, the Judicial Branch is overstepping its constitutional role and threatening the integrity of our separation of powers and system of checks and balances.

Italy’s Hidden Fractures: A Democracy Dependent on the Unelected

Aug 30, 2022 | Dartmouth College

On July 14, 2022, Italy’s adolescent “national unity” government narrowly escaped complete collapse. Prime Minister (PM) Mario Draghi’s dramatic resignation ended in...

When Did Velvet Become Steel? Armenian Authoritarianism Is Now Far More Subtle but No Less Dangerous

Aug 24, 2022 | Dartmouth College

In 2018, many in the West predicted that the resignation of Armenia’s pro-Moscow autocrat Serzh Sargsyan and election of self-proclaimed reformist Nikol Pashinyan would...

UNDER THE GUISE OF DEMOCRACY: Chavez’s Populism to Maduro’s Authoritarianism by Uma Vaingankar @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

RIDING IN ON A LOW Hugo Chavez rose to power in Venezuela almost two decades ago in the midst of public distrust and discontentment with the Venezuelan government and judiciary. In 1992, Presidente...

Is there really such a thing as ‘good’ Populism? How the latest election in the Netherlands influences democratic erosion in the region. By Isabella Mullen @ UCLA

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Even though it looks like it gained a win in the United States in 2016, populism has seen comparable setbacks in the rest of the world. Le pen in France, Maduro in Venezuela, and Frauke Petry in...

South Korea’s 2017 Presidential Election and Foreign Threats: Is Democracy in Danger? by Hannah Kim @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

SOUTH KOREA'S 2017 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND FOREIGN THREATS: IS DEMOCRACY IN DANGER? BY HANNAH KIM @ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES South Korea has experienced subjugation at the hands of...

Unconventional Hero? by Harriet Ferrer @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

The Philippines is one of the oldest democracies in Asia, but the country has been plagued with regimes that undermine the institutions of democracy, which result in its instability. The Philippines...

Populist-Authoritarian Leader in the Philippines

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in June 2016, one of his priorities for his administration was to combat the drug issue in the Philippines. According to the Philippines Dangerous...

German Right-Wing Populism in the Age of Social Media by Ricardo Taylor @University of California Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

The right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), has gained momentum in the recent years, and has managed to use social media to their advantage. In the recent 2017 elections AfD,...

Is Poland’s Government Taking a Step in the Wrong Direction? by Lana Frazier @ UCLA

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Throughout the end of the 20th century Poland made several significant changes including shifting from communism to democracy and joining the European Union. Proceeding 1989 Poland seemed to have...

Maduro, Populism, and Democratic Erosion by Jack Snitak @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Last week, Reuters reported that U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said at a news conference that Venezuelan state forces may have committed crimes against humanity and...

An Emergency Power amendment for the Japanese constitution

Mar 15, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Ever since 1955, the Liberal Democratic Party has pursued to shape the Japanese Constitution in some sort of ways to boost the strength of its country. Shinzo Abe, who is the prime minister of Japan...