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.

Trump’s Press Ban and The Courts Response

Access to unbarred media is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of a democratic country. Without independent media, the stream of information to voters is disrupted making people's understanding of their political environment inaccurate. If the media...

Trump’s Use of the SAVE Database May Threaten Democratic Participation

On Friday, September 25th, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to make use of the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to screen state voter lists for possible noncitizens temporarily. The...

The Press and the Limits of Presidential Power

On September 25, 2026, The Atlantic published Quinta Jurecic’s article, “The Two-Year Temper Tantrum to Come,” about President Donald Trump’s recent fight with the White House press. Just one day earlier, a federal judge had ordered the White House to restore access...

The Republicans’ Midterm Campaign is about Legitimacy, Not Rules

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University

Since early 2025, the Justice Department has filed 31 lawsuits seeking states’ voter data, in an effort to obtain voter rolls containing sensitive information about...

The White House Press Ban Shows What Happens When Forbearance Fails

Oct 2, 2026 | Boston University, Universities

On September 18, President Trump announced a ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Within a week, federal judge Timothy Kelly replied with an order...

A Never-Ending Crackdown: Daniel Noboa and Ecuador’s Potential Turn toward Authoritarianism

Apr 30, 2026 | Tulane University

A Never-Ending Crackdown: Daniel Noboa and Ecuador's Potential Turn toward Authoritarianism In January 2024, masked gunmen stormed a live television broadcast in Guayaquil, Ecuador. A notorious gang...

Trump has removed the National Science Foundation Board: Where does the overreach stop?

Apr 30, 2026 | Tulane University

Event On April 27th, 2026 the Trump Administration dismissed the National Science Foundation Board which consisted of 22 independent board members. Board members received an email from the...

Born Here, Belonging Nowhere: The Constitutional Crisis of Executive Order 14,160

Apr 30, 2026 | Tulane University

On January 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued executive order No. 14,160 titled “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” which declared that individuals born in the United...

The Silver Lining of American Retreat: How U.S. Disengagement from NATO Could Forge a Stronger Europe

Apr 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

There is a peculiar irony at the heart of what is happening to NATO right now. The United States, the alliance’s founding architect and long-time guarantor, has spent the better part of the last...

Do It Anyway: Why America’s Checks & Balances Are Failing

Apr 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

One of the main campaign promises made by the Trump campaign was to bring prices down for everyday Americans. He promised (and failed to deliver) sweeping economic reforms, the implementation of...

Protecting Democracy: Indigenous-led Social Movements in Guatemala 2023

Apr 29, 2026 | Tulane University

In 2023, presidential elections were held in Guatemala, and the country chose to protect democracy. With a longstanding history of corruption entrenched throughout the political and economic...

A Nobel Laureate Suspended, A Journalist Jailed: Tunisia’s Slide into Competitive Authoritarianism

Apr 28, 2026 | Suffolk University

On April 24, 2026, Tunisian President Kais Saied’s government suspended the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH). This organization shared the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for its role in saving the...

On the ousting of Orbán

Apr 28, 2026 | Tulane University

Viktor , standard bearer of the international populist right wing and Prime Minister of Hungary since 2010, has been defeated. The election took place on April, 12th 2026 and saw Péter Magyar, a...

Democracy in Exchange for Security; What is Left When the Concert Ends?

Apr 28, 2026 | Tulane University

Hundreds of thousands of fans filled El Salvador’s national stadium to witness Shakira’s sold out five-night residency of the “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour”. Initially the residence was only...