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...

Popularity Doesn’t Equal Democracy: A Look Into El Salvador’s Puzzle

Apr 19, 2026 | Boston University

Since President Nayib Bukele took office in 2019, El Salvador has undermined norms by changing the constitution, branches of government, and civil rights. While this...

The BJP and Democracy in India

Apr 19, 2026 | Suffolk University

India’s history with democracy is long and often complex, especially when considering cultural factors and the size of the population as it has continued to increase over...

Media and Democracy In India: How Media Repression Is Linked to Polarization

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

In early January of 2025, freelance journalist Mukesh Chandrakar was found murderered in Bijapur, a district within Chhattisgarh, India. His body was found in a septic tank shortly after he was on...

The Destruction of one of the Last Guardrails of Democracy in Venezuela

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On January 10th, 2025, Nicolás Maduro was inaugurated to serve his third consecutive term as the president of Venezuela. This confirmed the results of the presidential election, which took place in...

Peaceful Protesting: A Valiant Effort Against the Trump Administration

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

Photo by: AP News In the past weeks, protests have been happening all around the United States every single day. These protests are being organized for...

Protesting for Democracy: What April 5 Says About America’s Political Crisis

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On April 5, 2025, thousands of protestors participated in the ‘Hands Off!’ rallies that took place across all 50 states. The peaceful protests were organized by over 150 labor unions, LGBTQ+...

The Implications and Motivations for Trump’s Tariffs on EU Trade

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

In early 2025, President Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, citing concerns over trade imbalances and national...

Nayib Bukele and the Quiet Dismantling of Salvadoran Democracy

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

Nayib Bukele has become one of the most infamous populist leaders in Latin America, winning international praise for his aggressive anti-gang policies and his unapologetic, millennial persona. But...

Trump Targets Former CISA Director

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

On April 9, 2025, Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum titled “Addressing Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship.” The memo claimed that Chris Krebs “is a significant bad-faith...

The Death Files: The Trump Administration’s Dangerous and Anti-Democratic ‘Self-Deportation’ Strategy

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

A social security master-list previously known as the ‘Death Master List’ meant for invalidating the social security numbers of deceased individuals is being repurposed in the Trump Administrations...

Democratic Erosion: Trump’s threats on vulnerable students

Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University

The Trump Administration has caused an influx of high-profile arrests of international students across the United States by the Department of Homeland Security over the last few weeks, following the...