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.

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...

Buying Injustice: The Hidden Harms of this Act.

Are we looking to create a thriving society, or are we allowing fear into the lives of immigrant families? As new immigration policies appear, the question become, how do we prevent the changes that involve separating families and dismantling the place that...

Silencing the Bench: How Poland’s “Muzzle Law” Accelerates Democratic Erosion

Apr 19, 2026 | Suffolk University

Democracy depends on more than just elections: it requires strong independent institutions, specifically courts, that can check and balance political power. In Poland, a...

What Does the United States Democracy Have in Store?

Apr 19, 2026 | Suffolk University

The United States has always had a fair democracy, but in a year our democracy has fallen. One President has made tremendous changes, but many of these changes...

From Democratic Revolutionaries to Genocidaire Apologists: How the UAE Corrupted Sudanese Civil Society Leaders

Mar 17, 2025 | The University of Alabama

It is an open secret that Emirati planes are touching down at remote Chadian military bases with boxes of “humanitarian aid” - aid that is instead guns, ammo, and drones, destined for the...

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

Mar 7, 2025 | The University of Alabama

“The assumption was that voters would be turned off by seeing Trump for what he is — authoritarian, pitiless, hateful — and would recognize him as a kind of Hitler.” “Russian Foreign Minister Sergei...

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

Mar 3, 2025 | The University of Alabama

The growing unpopularity for America providing foreign aid to Ukraine during its conflict with Russia signals a troubling shift towards isolationism. The United States, the world’s most involved...

The Trump Administration’s Attack on USAID

Feb 17, 2025 | Boston University

When President Trump campaigned for a second term in office, he promised to cut what he referred to as government waste, fraud and abuse. He tasked Elon Musk, shortly after his election, with...

Does Nayib Bukele Present a Compelling Challenge to Democratic Values?

Feb 15, 2025 | Boston University

Underlining political discussion here in the United States is a presumption that democracy is the best system by which we can organise civil society. I should preface that I, too, subscribe to this...

DOJ Terminations

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Recently, The White House Terminated multiple U.S. attorneys within the Justice Department, which in itself can be seen as executive aggrandizement considering The White House is typically not...

Separation of Powers: The Judicial Branch’s Fight Against Trump

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

During his first three weeks in office, President Trump has signed over 60 executive orders covering controversial issues from DEI to immigration. Many of these executive orders have been met with...

Democratic Erosion in Political Satire: Exploring Americans’ Attitudes on Trump

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

For those concerned with U.S. democracy, it should suffice to say that this year has been off to a tumultuous start. With Donald Trump’s return to the White House, exhibiting his all too familiar...

DOGE: How Elon is Dismantling Democracy

Feb 14, 2025 | Boston University

Over the course of Trump’s initial presidency and subsequent re-election, the United States has faced several threats to the resilience and stability of its democratic institutions. From the January...