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.

Donald Trump the Nazi Reincarnate?: Godwin’s Law and How This Phenomenon is Counterproductive to Understanding Democratic Erosion

What do we hope to accomplish when comparing President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, a tyrannical perpetrator of genocide?

The Russia-Ukraine War Bodes Poorly for Democracy, But Not in the Way You Think

The Russia-Ukraine War is a serious threat to global democracy through the growing wave of isolationism in the United States, an entity that has typically been at the forefront of fighting authoritarianism across the world.

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle USAID, increase concerns about democratic backsliding as it could result in a trend with the executive undermining institutional legitimacy.

The Sanction Paradox and Democratic Erosion in Nicaragua

Jun 7, 2022 | Koç University

The Sanction Paradox and Democratic Erosion in Nicaragua The Central American country of Nicaragua has evolved into an even more autocratic government, with Daniel Ortega...

The Iron Rhetoric of the Velvet Leader

Jun 7, 2022 | Koç University

The harsh rhetoric and actions of the Pashinyan government/movement is straying Armenia from the very democratic principles that they were vowing to achieve. In...

How Incomplete Democratization in Myanmar Paved the Way for Ethnic Cleansing by Luke Shapiro @ Columbia University

Feb 14, 2018 | Columbia University

The world watched in horror as state security forces carried out ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in the fall of last year. Many wondered how such a promising case of democratic reform could go so...

American Self-Determination is a Dish Best Served Non-Homogeneous by Jose @ Columbia University

Feb 14, 2018 | Columbia University

We are a nation; therefore, we have a right to self-determination. However, not all sociopolitical circumstances are created equally, thus debilitating our agency to define our present and...

Who are Narendra Modi’s “Brothers” and “Sisters” Conveyed in His Visual Populism? By Ruchi Kirtikar @ Columbia University

Feb 14, 2018 | Columbia University

“Friends… countrymen, lend me your ears.” William Shakespeare’s famous line from his play Julius Caesar is one of the oldest mimicking the rhetoric of the “relatable” politician. Nowadays, words...

Thailand: The consequences of a disloyal opposition by Lam Chi Tun @ Columbia University

Feb 14, 2018 | Columbia University

On the 10th of February, around 400 protestors gathered near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok to protest against the military junta currently ruling Thailand. They called on the military rulers to...

Lending an Ear to Ukrainian Populism

Feb 14, 2018 | Columbia University

As Ukraine waits to recover from the social unrest sparked by 2014’s Maidan Revolution and pro-Russian unrest in the Donbas region, it has become painfully evident that eradicating the corrupt...

Media Attack in Namibia: A Symbol of Democratic Erosion by Ebenezer Akomolafe @ University of Memphis

Nov 28, 2017 | University of Memphis

Namibia is one of the youngest democracies in Africa, is also among the top leading countries in terms of freedom of the press since her independent in 1990. During the colonial administration, laws...

The Filibuster and the Courts: How Bureaucracy Prevents Democratic Erosion by Dakota Fenn @ Brown University

Nov 27, 2017 | Brown University

When we think of the filibuster, we likely alternatively picture a glorious stand against the tyranny of the majority, or a waste of time created by obstructionist opposition to progress. Obviously,...

So you want to weaken your civil society? Cut off its foreign funding. By Victor Brechenmacher @ Brown University

Nov 26, 2017 | Brown University

On Saturday, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill forcing all foreign-funded media in Russia to register as 'foreign agents.' The move echoes a 2012 Russian law asking the same of...

“Philippines’s President Rodrigo Duterte War on Drugs, Populist or Hero?” by Allante’ Boykin @University of Memphis

Nov 21, 2017 | University of Memphis

Since the fairly new President Rodrigo Duterte has been elected into office last June, he has been on a binge to cleanse the country of drugs and addiction. Duterte's war on drugs has claimed the...