In early May, voters in the Philippines will head to the polls for the country's midterm elections. These races are always seen as a referendum on the incumbent president, and this year, they take on added importance given the pending impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and the detention of her father, former-president Rodrigo Duterte, at the International Criminal Court. Prof. Nicole Curato (University of Birmingham) joins the pod to discuss the forces shaping the campaign's final stages, as well as how her work on deliberative democracy speaks to opportunities for strengthening institutions in these challenging times.

In early December, South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the world by declaring martial law. The declaration was swiftly challenged in the legislature and reversed by the administration. Impeachment and criminal charges now face Yoon, and the country confronts entrenched polarization. Prof. Sanghoon Kim-Leffingwell, Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas, joins the pod to discuss the fallout from martial law, and how "authoritarian nostalgia" shapes the country's democracy.

Episode image by Hashflu under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

In late-November, several dozen pro-democracy activists received criminal sentences in Hong Kong. Pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai is in the midst of his individual criminal trial. The trials and convictions reflect the latest stage of Beijing's crackdown, which reached a new stage under the 2020 national security law. Dr. Yan-ho Lai (Eric), research fellow at Georgetown Center for Asian Law (GCAL), joins the pod to discuss the trials and the potential for resistance through the legal system in Hong Kong.

On October 27th, Japan’s voters headed to the polls for a snap election called by the ruling coalition. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the country’s governing party and dominant power, under-achieved, dogged by financial scandal and low voter enthusiasm. Prof. Charles McClean (Yale University) joins the pod to discuss the likely future of the LDP coalition, the opposition politicians who had the most to gain from the results, and what the election has to teach us about questions of youth participation and representation in the rapidly-aging country.

In August 2021, Kabul fell to Taliban forces, as the militant groups finalized its return to power in Afghanistan. Three years later, how does Taliban governance compare to earlier periods in power? And what lessons are to be learned from the failure of the republic period in the country? Dr. Omar Sharifi (University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Affairs) joins the pod with CAD research fellow Riaz Nassiry to analyze Taliban rule and reflect on his work in Afghanistan to strengthen democracy.

On September 21st, Sri Lankans headed to the polls for the country’s first presidential elections since the successful 2022 protests that forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa from power. They elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of a Marxist-influenced party with a contentious past. Dr. Shamara Wettimuny (Oxford University) joins the pod from Colombo to discuss the post-election dynamics and early signs from the new administration.

On April 19, voters in India begin to head to the polls for national elections that will stretch through May. The incumbent BJP faces a new opposition alliance, again under the leadership of the Indian National Congress. What will the election signal about the overall health of democracy in the country? And how does the BJP, a party of Hindu nationalism, mobilize women into its political project? Drs. Anirvan Chowdhury (Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University) and Taha Rauf (Postdoctoral Fellow, CAD) join the pod to put the campaign in context.

Dr. Ahmet Kuru of San Diego State University joins the pod to analyze the fusion of religion, nationalism and populism. How did this combination lead to his interrogation by security forces while on a trip to deliver scholarly lectures in Malaysia? And what lesson does this troubling incident hold for the broader relationship between religion and democracy, in Asia and beyond?

Kuru on his "Malaysia ordeal": https://theconversation.com/my-malaysia-ordeal-shows-how-religion-can-fuse-with-populist-nationalism-to-silence-dissent-221936