Overview

Guest Editor: Kunda Dixit (Editor and Publisher, Nepali Times / ALFP 2006 Fellow)

Across the world, the threats to an open society today stem not just from dictators in totalitarian states, but also from elected demagogues. Leaders who whip up populism, xenophobia and outright racism get elected to office. Once there, they proceed to dismantle the very institutions that got them there. There are examples of such leaders in Asia-Pacific countries, who have worked systematically to constrict freedoms, crackdown on the media and allow an erosion of the rule of law. This series will examine the disarray within the established democratic parties, the backlash against globalization and the spread of the social web that feed this trend. Writers and scholars from individual countries in the region will also look at successful examples of resistance and models for keeping open the liberal democratic space.