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UTENRIKS-Internasjonale forhold - utenriks- og sikkerhetspolitikk og norske interesser

Leadership and democratic participation in Asia

Alternative title: Sterke ledere i Asia: Demokratiske sjefer og hvordan forstå dem

Awarded: NOK 12.0 mill.

The 2020 Freedom House report declares that globally, ‘Democracy and pluralism are under assault’. This is particularly marked and disconcerting with respect to the large and populous regions of South and Southeast Asia where today there is no ‘full democracy’ (Democracy Index 2019). In fact, popular support for non-democratic rule in these regions ranges from 75 to 85 percent, higher than in any other world region (Pew research 2017). Several significant electoral democracies in these regions are now ruled by ‘strongman’ leaders who are often portrayed as authoritarian or populist, or both. We seek to substantially develop an understanding of South and Southeast Asian politics and to develop theoretical concepts that help understand a hitherto underresearched political phenomenon: strengthening of strongman politics in democratic countries. We proceed from the position that political leadership – variously conceptualised as legitimacy, authority, or representation – is a cultural construct and that perception plays a crucial role its construction. Our hypotheses are, first, that contemporary strongman leaders in South and Southeast Asia seek to distinguish themselves from technocratic leaders and instead, second, seek to establish authority through imagery that is based on culturally sensitive notions. These notions include, we hypothesise, a masculine ‘boss’ personalisation of power and authority, which may included transgression of moral or unwritten rules; an imagery of communitas, the uniqueness of the nation and the superiority of its morale and culture; and a culturally sensitive and often religious imagery of sacrifice, selflessness and service.

The 2020 Freedom House report declares that globally, ‘Democracy and pluralism are under assault’. This is particularly marked and disconcerting with respect to the large and populous regions of South and Southeast Asia where today there is no ‘full democracy’ (Democracy Index 2019). In fact, popular support for non-democratic rule in these two regions ranges from 75 to 85 percent, higher than in any other world region (Pew research 2017). Several significant electoral democracies in these regions are now ruled by ‘strongman’ leaders who are often portrayed as authoritarian or populist, or both—India’s Narendra Modi, Sri Lanka’s ruling Rajapaksa brothers, Thailand’s Prayut Cha-o-Cha, Cambodia’s Hun Sen, and the Philippines’ Duterte, for example. The region is also rife with former strongmen, strongman challengers to current leaders, and local strongmen, including political dynasts. We seek to substantially develop an understanding of South and Southeast Asian politics and to develop theoretical concepts that help understand a hitherto underresearched political phenomenon: strengthening of strongman politics in democratic countries. We proceed from the position that political leadership – variously conceptualised as legitimacy, authority, or representation – is a cultural construct and that perception plays a crucial role its construction. Our hypotheses are, first, that contemporary strongman leaders in South and Southeast Asia seek to distinguish themselves from technocratic leaders and instead, second, seek to establish authority through imagery that is based on culturally sensitive notions. These notions include, we hypothesise, a masculine ‘boss’ personalisation of power and authority, which may included transgression of moral or unwritten rules; an imagery of communitas, the uniqueness of the nation and the superiority of its morale and culture; and a culturally sensitive and often religious imagery of sacrifice, selflessness and service.

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UTENRIKS-Internasjonale forhold - utenriks- og sikkerhetspolitikk og norske interesser