Eve Warburton received her PhD from the Department of Political and Social Change at Australian National University’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Asia Research Institute.
Rising levels of political polarization are hurting democracy in many Southeast Asian countries. The coronavirus pandemic is only ratcheting up political pressures further.
Deepening divisions, frequently fueled by majoritarian political agendas, are driving democratic regression in key countries throughout South and Southeast Asia regions.
From long-established democracies like India to newer ones like Indonesia, deep-seated sociopolitical divisions have become increasingly inflamed in recent years, fueling democratic erosion and societal discord.