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.

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear

A Green Card Once Meant Protection: Now it is Fear By Fotios E. Meimeteas Imagine you are a single mother in the United States, raising four children who depend on you. You have established a new life, built a home, paid taxes, and lived in the United States for...

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...

Shadows Over Paradise: Mauritius’ Democracy at a Crossroads Since 2019

Oct 5, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Mauritius, known for its political stability and vibrant democracy, has long been regarded as a shining example of democratic governance in the African region. Mauritius...

ASEAN’s role in Addressing Myanmar’s crisis

Oct 5, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Source by : The Star news In February 2021, Myanmar has been facing a transforming a period of political unrest and widespread human rights violations, creating an urgent...

The Democratic Tipping Point in Slovakia by Emma Shahabi @ UCLA

Mar 13, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Slovakia has been struggling in recent days to recover some sort of stability following the murders of journalist, Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova. Kuciak was a journalist...

Hungary for Power by Narmeen Mundh @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 13, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

The issue of democratic backsliding in certain EU countries has been the topic of discussion and increasing concern worldwide. Hungary tops this list due to the rapid introduction and implementation...

A New World Order? How China’s Abolishment of Presidential Term Limits Might Become the Norm for Global Democracy

Mar 13, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

In a mostly ceremonial parliamentary vote on Sunday March 11, the National People’s Congress of China voted to allow the abolishment of term limits for President Xi Jinping, allowing him to stay in...

A Streetcar named ‘Democracy:’ An Analysis of Democratic Erosion in Turkey by Sam Wieske @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 13, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

A few decades ago, Turkey was the poster-boy of a democracy in the Islamic world. Fast forward to present day and Turkey is far from being a paragon of democracy, in light of the recent coup and...

Re-militarizing Japan. Abe’s abuse of overwhelming power by Ippei Kato @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 12, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Japan, one of the most peaceful and safest country that has never experienced any configuration after WWⅡ, is facing undemocratic crisis that can change its long-standing neutral position and find...

A Single Referendum in Turkey by Julia Robinson @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 12, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

The recent referendum passed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey will lead to long term democratic backsliding. The redistribution of power to the executive office, the dissolution of checks...

The Orban Road to Autocracy by Lasini Piyadigama @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 12, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

Democratic backsliding is the process of democratic countries moving away from the fundamental ideas of democracy, like free and fair elections, strong rule of law and freedom of speech. This...

Possibility of Democratic Backsliding in Slovakia by Mouthcheata Se @ University of California, Los Angeles

Mar 12, 2018 | University of California, Los Angeles

On March 2nd, 2018, approximately 20,000 Slovak protestors gathered in the Bratislava's Freedom Square to mourn and demand justice for a journalist named Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina...

Millennials, Politics, and Polarization: How the Nature of Modern Youth Political Participation May Contribute to Democratic Erosion by Shravan Balaji @ University of Pennsylvania

Mar 11, 2018 | University of Pennsylvania

During the last weekend of February, I took it upon myself to return to my home state of New Jersey to attend an general meeting of our county’s “Young Democrats” meeting. A friend of mine with whom...