The President recently aroused public reaction by equating the essence of a woman to a functional vagina. In front of more than 200 former communist rebels, the President said, “Tell the soldiers, …
Changing the Philippine Constitution: Dancing with Dictatorship? By Michael Manangu @ University of the Philippines, Diliman
Upon taking office in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte quickly implemented a campaign pledge to begin amending the 1987 Philippine Constitution. A political outsider from the southern island of Mindanao, Duterte …
How Incomplete Democratization in Myanmar Paved the Way for Ethnic Cleansing by Luke Shapiro @ Columbia University
The world watched in horror as state security forces carried out ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in the fall of last year. Many wondered how such a promising case of democratic reform could go so …
Who are Narendra Modi’s “Brothers” and “Sisters” Conveyed in His Visual Populism? By Ruchi Kirtikar @ Columbia University
“Friends… countrymen, lend me your ears.” William Shakespeare’s famous line from his play Julius Caesar is one of the oldest mimicking the rhetoric of the “relatable” politician. Nowadays, words …
Thailand: The consequences of a disloyal opposition by Lam Chi Tun @ Columbia University
On the 10th of February, around 400 protestors gathered near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok to protest against the military junta currently ruling Thailand. They called on the military rulers to …
Myanmar’s Transition to Democracy: Is Illiberalism a “Bump in the Road?” By Rachel Risoleo @Brown University
Max Fisher of the New York Times recently noted that although Myanmar was once a beacon of democratic transition from a recently de-militarized state, it is now a “study in how it [democracy] fails.” …
How Can Donor Organizations Improve Women’s Political Participation? by Talia Brenner @Brown University
It’s common to see education initiatives, particularly those from multilateral aid organizations and NGOs, depicted as a panacea for democratic backsliding. Among these international organizations, …
Military, Religious Populism, and the Fall of Pakistani Democracy by Will Conard @ Brown University
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan was established, in the midst of religious conflict. In August 1947, West and East Pakistan gained independence both from India and from the Empire of the United …