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1、Discussion Paper November 2020 Addressing the Effect of COVID-19 on Democracy in South and Southeast Asia Joshua Kurlantzick The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, governm
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7、on its website are the sole responsibility of the author or authors. For further information about CFR or this paper, please write to the Council on Foreign Relations, 58 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065, or call Communications at 212.434.9888. Visit CFRs website, CFR.org. Copyright 2020 by the
8、Council on Foreign Relations, Inc. All rights reserved. This paper may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form beyond the reproduction permit- ted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law Act (17 U.S.C. Sections 107 and 108) and excerpts by reviewers for the public press, without
9、 express written permission from the Council on Foreign Relations. This paper was made possible by the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation. . iiiContents 1 Introduction 3 Backsliding in Motion 8 Accelerating Democratic Regression: COVID-Related Factors 13 The Global Context 17 The Way Forw
10、ard 23 Conclusion 25 Endnotes 35 About the Author CONTENTS 1Introduction South and Southeast Asia have demonstrated mixed results in combat- ing the coronavirus pandemic, yet the COVID-19 pandemic has been a political boon for illiberal leaders. (Illiberal leaders undermine open societies and free p
11、olitical systems; they usually still allow elections, but they damage or outright destroy political institutions and norms and attack civil liberties.) These politicians include leaders such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected in free and fair elections, and more autocratic leaders such
12、as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose elections have been increasingly unfree and unfair. In South and Southeast Asia, illiberal leaders, many of whom are illiberal populists, have used the pandemic as an opportunity to consolidate political and economic power, regardless of whether these actio
13、ns contribute to actual public health responses.1 South and Southeast Asia have had some of the most extreme COVID-19-related democratic regressions in the world. Even before the coronavirus emerged, growing political polarization, illiberal populism and sectarianism, the legacy of authoritarian rul
14、e, and the continuing influence of militaries in politics were undermining dem- ocratic politics in these regions.2 And combating COVID-19 does require some limitations on freedom, at least until an effective vaccine becomes available. In fact, even some longtime democracies in devel- oped regions h
15、ave struggled to balance addressing public health con- cerns and protecting citizens freedoms. Meanwhile, as news media worldwide remain focused on the pandemic, democratic regression in developing countries is receiving less attention. The COVID-19-era consolidation of political influence should be
16、 countered to ensure that politicians cannot use the pandemic to INTRODUCTION 2Addressing the Effect of COVID-19 on Democracy in South and Southeast Asia permanently amass more power. Across South and Southeast Asia, defenders of democratic norms and institutions should support safe elections and work to ensure that, even if leaders have amassed exten- sive powers to fight the pandemic, these powers are time-limited and that plans for returning to political normality are in place. In co
