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...

The New Future of Warfare? How Social Media is Inflating Tensions Between the U.S. and Iran.

Social media is moving to the forefront of the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with political elites from both sides of the conflict using social media as a weapon to fabricate narratives and generate AI videos to publicly denounce the actions of one...

When Courts Become Political

Mar 29, 2026 | University of Houston

In an ideal world, the judiciary is like the referees in a democracy. Their job is to make sure that all the players are playing by the rules, that our rights are protected,...

Do Economic Factors Really Affect the Durability of Authoritarian Regimes?

Mar 29, 2026 | Suffolk University

Oftentimes to an outside, democratically minded observer, the durability of authoritarian rule seems perplexing. After all, why would anyone not rise up against a tyrant or...

Australia: Constitutional Recognition of the Indigenous People Fails at the Polls

Oct 16, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Australia is a nation that has, since its founding as a British colony in the late eighteenth century, struggled with the recognition and inclusion of its indigenous Aboriginal population. A recent...

Variations of Populism in the Philippines: Medical Populist President Rodrigo Duterte and “Tuob” Populist Governor Gwen Garcia

Oct 16, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

Photo: Physical exercises for violators of the enhanced community quarantine policy in province of Cebu in the Philippines by Gerard Francisco, Cebu Daily News Digital. The COVID-19 pandemic...

Wrestling with the Populist Rhetoric-Policy Tension: Insights from the 2023 Republican Primaries’ Discourse on the UAW Strike

Oct 16, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

The recent national-level strike launched by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union at several major auto manufacturers in the United States against General Motors (GM), Ford Motor, and Stellantis...

The expansive measures of being democratic: A lesson learned from Palestine

Oct 16, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

A ceaseless conflict between the State of Palestine and Israel appears to have no end in sight. Despite international efforts on humanitarian issues, especially for civilians, the Israeli military...

Thoughts on Russian “Democracy”

Oct 16, 2023 | Boston University

While the focus on Russia today is its war in Ukraine, which as of writing this enters its 600th day, not too long ago that focus was on the state of its “democracy”. Prior to the invasion, much of...

The Supreme Court’s Potential to Erode Democracy

Oct 15, 2023 | Boston University

The Supreme Court, an institution responsible for providing equal justice under the law, contradicts this role in our current democracy. As the two other branches of government become more...

The Delegitimization of American Political Institutions

Oct 15, 2023 | Boston University

Until fairly recently, Americans tended to view their own constitutional democracy as their greatest source of joy as citizens. We saw ourselves as a shining beacon of political and civil liberty,...

The supreme immunity: Could it be a stealth authoritarianism?

Oct 15, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

An example from Indonesia’s new Article of libel and defamation In the essence of practicing democracy, a fundamental understanding is that it provides a safe space for both criticism and...

China in Cambodia: Threat to Regional Stability

Oct 15, 2023 | School of Public Policy, Chiang Mai University

The shrinking of Cambodia’s civic and political space mirrors the elections and authoritarian consolidation of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). Since 2021, Cambodia’s civil society, media, and...