How Are Southeast Asia’s Toxic Alliances Undermining the Region’s Prospects for Democracy?

9 snips

Nov 29, 2024

Duncan McCargo, a renowned expert on Southeast Asian politics, and Rendy Pahrun Wadipalapa, a researcher focused on Indonesian politics, discuss the rise of toxic political alliances in Southeast Asia. They explore how dubious power-sharing deals are compromising democracy in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The guests analyze the superficial nature of these alliances, the challenges they pose to voter engagement, and how these dynamics contribute to political instability. Their insights highlight the urgent need for genuine democratic practices amidst shifting power structures.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Seven Characteristics of Toxic Alliances

Toxic alliances have seven key characteristics: improbable partnerships, reputation laundering, secret deals, hidden brokers, exclusionary agendas, deceptive rhetoric, and voter alienation.
Not all alliances exhibit all traits, but several are usually present.

INSIGHT

Quasi-Democrats

Politicians labeled "democratic" in toxic alliances might not be truly democratic.
Their supposed democratic ideals may be superficial, making alliances less improbable.

INSIGHT

Exclusionary Alliances and Third Forces

Toxic alliances are formed to counter emerging third forces in politics.
These alliances represent a shift in Southeast Asian politics.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Why are dubious power-sharing deals on the rise across Southeast Asia? What effects do they have on the region’s prospects for democracy? And are they going to be tolerated? Join Petra Alderman as she talks to Duncan McCargo and Rendy Pahrun Wadipalapa about their recent Journal of Democracy article ‘Southeast Asia’s Toxic Alliances.’ They discuss the factors that underpin the rise of these toxic alliances among Southeast Asian elites, their characteristics, and their effects on democracy by focusing on three countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Duncan McCargo is President's Chair in Global Affairs at the Nanyang Technological University. He works mainly on the comparative politics of Southeast Asia, especially Thailand, on which he has published widely. His dozen books include the best-selling The Thaksinization of Thailand (co-authored, NIAS Press 2005), and the award-winning Tearing Apart the Land: Islam and Legitimacy in Southern Thailand (Cornell 2008); and more recently Fighting for Virtue: Politics and Justice in Thailand (Cornell 2019) and Future Forward: The Rise and Fall of a Thai Political Party (co-authored, NIAS Press 2020).

Rendy Pahrun Wadipalapa is a researcher at National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in Jakarta, Indonesia. He earned his PhD from the School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, UK (2022). His research focuses on Southeast Asian and Indonesian politics.

Petra Alderman is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Leadership for Inclusive and Democratic Politics at the University of Birmingham and Research Fellow at CEDAR.

The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world and follow us on X (Twitter) at @CEDAR_Bham

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science