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.

Mexico Holds Elections. Cartels Hold the Veto.

On April 1, 2024, Bertha Gisela Gaytán stood at a campaign rally in Celaya, a city in Guanajuato that's been torn apart by a cartel turf war. She was running for mayor, promising to fix the roads and get the violence under control. Weeks before, she had asked the...

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.

Felon Disenfranchisement and Subversion of the Black Electorate

Apr 27, 2023 | University of Utah

Beginning after Reconstruction—when Black men were granted the right to vote—the implementation of voter disenfranchisement laws crept across the United States in the form...

Libel Suits are an Effective Legal Tool to Combat Disinformation

Apr 26, 2023 | University of Utah

The spread of disinformation related to the Big Lie conspiracy perpetuated by Trump, and his allies, including Right-wing media networks, helped spur the 'Stop the Steal...

“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...

Settler use of Privately-Owned Palestinian Land and Israeli Democracy by DH @ the University of Memphis

Nov 20, 2017 | University of Memphis

Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, on Wednesday, reconfirmed Israeli Supreme Court’s decision that Israeli authorities could expropriate privately owned Palestinian land for public use for Jewish...

ELECTORAL BREAKDOWN IN KENYA: POLITICS OF DYNASTY & ETHNICITY by Grant Beatty @ University of Memphis

Nov 20, 2017 | University of Memphis

In Kenya, violence has again erupted after a second presidential election was held on October 26th, decided once more in favor of incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta. On November 17, several were...

A Chance for Change or an Unholy Union? The National Football League, Protests and Democratic Values by Hunter Irons @ University of Memphis

Nov 20, 2017 | University of Memphis

It has been almost fifteen months since Colin Kaepernick first protested the national anthem and started what has become a mega story in the spheres of sports and politics. While Kaepernick remains...

Beat them into Submission: Catalan Protest and the Move Towards Declaring Independence By Shemaiah J. Moss @ University of Memphis

Nov 20, 2017 | University of Memphis

The resurgence of political protests in the United States seemed to be an anomaly to the less politically engaged citizens, but they along with the rest of the world began to realize that political...

Iceland: A Fumbling Government by Jordan Aulfinger @ University of Memphis

Nov 19, 2017 | University of Memphis

Iceland's government is in disarray. A month after its most recent election it is struggling to do basic things like decide which members of parliament will hold the various minister positions,...

Rohingya Refugee Crisis and the Impact on Bangladeshi Democracy by Cayna Sharp @ University of Memphis

Nov 19, 2017 | University of Memphis

On August 25th it is reported that a small militant group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa) attacked police and government soldiers. Since this attack, the Myanmar military has...

Threats against the Media in Bulgaria: The Beginning of the End of Democracy? by Victoria Potts @ University of Memphis

Nov 18, 2017 | University of Memphis

The journalists of Bulgaria regularly experience pressure from politicians to censor their questions and their stories. High-ranking officials openly threaten journalists' jobs to ensure their...

“Recalibrating” African Militaries: A new democratic hope for Burkina Faso after all? by Bradly Knox @ University of Memphis

Nov 17, 2017 | University of Memphis

From Enigma to a Stigma A column written for Foreign Policy magazine asks, ever so frankly, Why Are Africa’s Militaries So Disappointingly Bad? A variety of explanations could be drafted to explain...