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 blogs reflect the views of the student authors, and not those of the Democratic Erosion Consortium.

Democratic erosion in Ecuador

Second Blog post On March 6, 2026, Ecuador’s electoral courts ordered the suspension of the country's largest left leaning opposition party, Revolucion Ciudadana (Citizen’s revolution). The party, recognized as the primary opposition of Noboa's right-leaning National...

Pernicious Polarization and the Failure of Resistance in El Salvador

The current state of democracy in El Salvador emphasizes how pernicious polarization destroys the possibility of effective resistance to democratic backsliding, as theorized by McCoy, Rahman, and Somer in "Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy." Bukele's...

How Democracy Erodes: A Comparison between the U.S. and Brazil

Both the United States under President Trump and Brazil under Jair Bolsonaro experienced a period of anti-democratic rhetoric. That led to the decline of significant indicators of stable democratic regimes. Among these indicators are election intimidation, attacks on...

Israel, A Democracy?

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

Israel is frequently described as “the only democracy in the Middle East,” yet when evaluated through the lens of democratic theory, this claim is quite absurd. Israel...

Enemies of Italy: How does Giorgia Meloni Threaten Democracy in Italy?

Feb 13, 2026 | Boston University

As tensions rise in Italy with a recent security decree and protests against the Winter Olympic Games, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues to reveal the potential...

6 Arrows: Does Modern Turkey Still Follow the Ideology of Ataturk?

Dec 16, 2022 | Suffolk University

Kemalism, also Ataturkism, is the ideology of Turkish nationalism put forward by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. It is still considered to be the official ideology of the Republic of Turkey. At the Congress...

Democratic Erosion: Threats in the Philippine Democracy

Dec 16, 2022 | University of the Philippines, Diliman

Democratic Erosion (also known as Democratic Backsliding) is an unsettlingly prevalent phenomenon in which competitive elections are undermined, individuals lose the right to mobilize or voice...

Economic Instability in Turkey: An Attempt to Find a New Economic Model or Political Adventure

Dec 16, 2022 | Suffolk University

This story is about an autocrat who has been in big politics for 20 years. Under his rule, the exchange rate of the national currency has collapsed several times, prices have risen incredibly in the...

Ukraine and Russia: Soviet Tensions Lead to Modern Mass Murder

Dec 15, 2022 | Suffolk University

Russia has been threatening the democratic sovereignty of Ukraine since the country declared independence from the USSR shortly before its official dissolution in the early 1990’s. Under the rule of...

Castillo’s Failed Self-Coup

Dec 15, 2022 | Sabanci University

Recently, on the 7th of December, Pedro Castillo former president of Peru attempted to give a self-coup d'état. The Peruvian congress held a vote in which it was decided whether the congress would...

The 2022 US Midterm: A Denouement of Populism

Dec 14, 2022 | Skidmore College

The November midterm elections have come and gone, and the American people have spoken: they reject populism. If the rise of election deniers is indicative of populism, then the underwhelming...

The Roles of Identity and Affective Polarization in Democratic Erosion

Dec 13, 2022 | University of Denver

Introduction What is the most salient causal explanation for democratic erosion in the U.S.? Is it economic inequality and neoliberal policy? What about the decay of political parties, norms, and...

The Importance of Non-Voting Youth Involvement

Dec 12, 2022 | Suffolk University

Through most of high school, I thought that the only way to get involved politically was through protests and online movements. It wasn’t until senior year that, after a conversation with a mayoral...

The Return of the Taliban to Afghanistan

Dec 11, 2022 | Suffolk University

In 1996, The Taliban emerged as the leader of Afghanistan after storming Kabul and overthrowing the Soviet-Backed president, Muhammed Najibullah. They rose to power under the promise of peace after...