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.

Public Opinion, Polarization, and Pushback on the Impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte

With months ahead of impeachment trial of Sara Duterte in the Philippine Senate, we can expect more political theatrics to unfold and try to win over public opinion.

Forced Conscription in Eritrea: No Opportunities for the Youth of Eritrea

Eritrea’s forced conscription into national service has resulted in a struggling education sector and thousands of people fleeing the country.

The Politics of Shame: How Bobotante Narrative Poses Threats to Philippine Democracy

In democratic countries, elections are seen as a great equalizer for each individual, as they are entitled to free expression, regardless of their background. However, this is not the case in the Philippines, as the 2022 election has turned into a battlefield of shame...

The Price of Press: Exposing the Fragility of Philippine Media In the 2025 Senatorial Elections

May 4, 2025 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Lights, Camera, Action—A line that we usually hear in show business and filmmaking. In this industry, actors desperately compete to get their much-desired “screen time,”...

There’s no Greater Riches than (Extended Political) Families: Filipinos’ Pakikisama and the Perpetuation of Political Dynasties in the Philippines

May 3, 2025 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Filipinos place utmost importance on their families, the foundation of our nation. Because of this, it is no surprise that the family finds its place in all levels of...

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...

Militarizing The U.S. Boarder With Mexico: A Sign Of Democratic Erosion

Apr 17, 2025 | Boston University

On April 11, 2025, President Donald Trump granted the U.S. military permission to occupy federal lands along the border between the United States and Mexico. (Per The Guardian) The declared purpose...

The JFK Files: Make America Paranoid Again

Apr 17, 2025 | Boston University

Donald Trump recently released 80,000 CIA files on the JFK assassination and the following investigation. These files were released to some degree in 2017, as was mandated by the National Archives...

The Brandmauer and its Recent Deterioration

Apr 17, 2025 | Boston University

Firewalls and regional equivalents to it have recently come under heavy strain as nationalist far-right parties have found themselves relative electoral success in the past two years in Central and...

Populism and Authoritarianism in Venezuela

Apr 17, 2025 | Boston University

Cyrus Sadr Democratic Erosion Professor Steven Rosenzweig 4/9/25 Populism and Authoritarianism in Venezuela The 2024 election of Nicolas Maduro is widely viewed as being fraudulent...

The Erosion of Democracy: Sending U.S. Citizens to El Salvador

Apr 17, 2025 | Boston University

The idea floated by former President Trump to deport “homegrown criminals”—U.S. citizens—to a maximum security prison in El Salvador is a troubling sign of democratic erosion in the United States....

“Unleashed” – Boris Johnson’s Populist Reincarnation

Apr 17, 2025 | Tartu University

On October 10th, 2024 I ordered the freshly released Boris Johnson memoir, Unleashed (Croft,2024). None of my relatives or friends from the UK, nor any of my classmates, paid any attention to this...

Democratic Erosion Disguised as Stability: Georgia’s Post-Election Crisis

Apr 17, 2025 | Boston University

In Georgia, parliamentary elections in October 2024 spurred mass mobilization and protest nationally over alleged electoral fraud and government violence. Thousands of individuals took to the...

Serbian Protests: Unrest or Backsliding?

Apr 16, 2025 | Boston University

Serbia has seen a wave of student protests over the last four months due to the deadly train station collapse in Novi Sad that has now claimed the lives of 16 people. The collapse comes after recent...