Democratization and the lack thereof in Southeast Asia

Despite the “Third Wave” of democracy in the late 20th century, Southeast Asia has been “recalcitrant” to global democratic trends (Emmerson 1995). Only two countries in the region today, Indonesia and the Philippines, are generally considered to be electorally democratic, and even they are labeled only as “partly free” by Freedom House’s democracy index (“Freedom House” 2015). Other countries in the region include states with varying forms of authoritarianism, including those led by single parties, military rule, and even sultanates.