The State of Democracy in Asia

Has the global narrative of democratic decline held true in the Indo-Pacific region?

In November 2020, all eyes are on the United States as it concludes a contentious presidential election. Donald Trump’s original victory in the 2016 presidential polls fed into a growing wave of despair about democracy’s decline around the world: the growth of populism and majoritarianism among politicians coupled with increasingly illiberal and nationalist sentiments in the general public across the world.
In East Asia, however, things are playing out much differently. China and North Korea, of course, remain one-party states with little room for free expression, a much less political choice. However, the past few years have seen old enmities resurface and democracy is now undoubtedly under pressure across the region.
In South Asia, the notion of democracy has continued to slide into an existential crisis of majoritarianism that was supposed to have been resolved during the overthrow of the British Raj and the winning of independence in 1947.

This article was written by  Yun-han Chu, Michael Vatikiotis, Mosharraf Zaidi, and Catherine Putz

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