This week we discussed the connection between culture and the regime as well as explanations for regime change. The idea of a democratic state is not new and is deeply embedded in the political discourse. However, the debate about so-called “Asian values” by authoritarian leaders in Singapore and Malaysia sparked a debate about the relevance of democracy in non-western countries. The idea of “Asian values” presupposes that Western ideology and the concept of liberal democracy are inappropriate in collectivist societies. Mark R. Thompson in the article Democracy with Asian Characteristics explores democracy by introducing two examples: the case of China and the case of Thailand. The first uses the Asian form of democracy which puts a strong emphasis on the leader and government overall. Thus, China's form of government is more likely to be associated with Confucian values, which may reinforce the party’s legitimacy. “Thai style democracy” is associated with the “good” and “capable” elites that carry out the reforms. The idea of human rights and democracy is not exclusively Western but is likely to have roots in each country’s local culture. Thus, to understand “Asian values” and the way of government, one needs to, first, take into account the idea of cultural relativism which presupposes that something that is considered right by one culture may not be considered as such by the other, and vice versa. And, secondly, draw on Buddhist, Confucianist, and Muslim traditions that are not incompatible with the traditional understanding of democracy.
Resources:
https://read.dukeupress.edu/journal-of-asian-studies/article/74/4/875/333819/Democracy-with-Asian-Characteristics
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