Compromising Democracy: Agents of Democratic Regression in Southeast Asia

Session Submission Type: Virtual Full Paper Panel

Session Description

There is a growing concern about the global state of democracy (Waldner and Lust 2018; Diamond 2020). Regimes in Southeast Asia too seem to have been pulled into this larger wave of democratic regression. Across the region, there has been widespread violations of political and civil rights, the sidelining of minorities by illiberal forces, and the intimidation of journalists and the political opposition. Yet, although regimes in Southeast Asia may be affected by the global illiberal turn, democracy in the region is not newly on the retreat. Countries in Southeast Asia have had their own prior struggles with democratization and recent regressions or failures to consolidate democracy are not just a product of international forces, but are also deeply rooted in particular domestic struggles and histories.

This proposed panel brings together early-career scholars from around the world to explore the actors and forces that have worked to compromise democracy in Southeast Asia. Megan Ryan explores why democratic transitions stall using the case of Myanmar, arguing that stalled transitions are more likely when countries transition out of military regimes and when the party linked to the military is electorally weak. Sol Iglesias and Jessica Soedirgo look at democratic regressions in the Philippines and Indonesia respectively, countries that were once seen as democratic outliers in the region. Iglesias shows how state-sponsored, “anti-crime” violence during Duterte’s reign contributed to a process of democratic deconsolidation in the Philippines. Focusing on the role of illicit actors in elections, Soedirgo explores how gangs have weakened the rule of law, reduce political accountability, and eroded democratic norms in Indonesia. Finally, Aim Sinpeng looks at the case of Thailand, a country that has experienced several democratic reversals over the past several years. Sinpeng shifts the analytical lens to the role of the masses in democratic breakdowns, showing how conflicting visions of democracy gave rise to anti-democratic movements in Thailand, which facilitated military coups in the country.

By examining drivers of democratic regression in Southeast Asia, the papers in this panel—which explore cases of democratic reversals at different stages of democratization—speak to the broader literature on political regimes and comparative democratization in political science. The papers all explicitly situate the Southeast Asia region comparatively to the experience of other regions around the world. The comparative aims of this panel is supported by the regional expertise of the panel’s discussants: Rachel Beatty Riedl and Maya Tudor, experts of democratization with regional expertise in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia respectively.

Sub Unit

• Division 12: Comparative Politics of Developing Countries

Cosponsor

• Related Groups / Southeast Asian Politics

Individual Presentations

• Political Violence & Democratic Deconsolidation in the Philippines Under Duterte - Sol Iglesias, University of the Philippines

• Stalled Democratization: The Case of Myanmar’s Military-Led Regime Transition - Megan Ryan, University of Michigan

• Crowdsourcing Dictatorship in Thailand - Aim Sinpeng, University of Sydney

• Protection Rackets, Preman and Politics: Gangs and Elections in Indonesia - Jessica Soedirgo, University of Amsterdam

Chair

• Kikue Hamayotsu Northern Illinois University

Discussants

• Rachel Beatty Riedl Cornell University

• Maya Jessica Tudor Oxford University