Inside Asia
by The Center for Asian Democracy
This podcast spotlights the thinkers, researchers and leaders shaping our understanding of democracy in Asia.
Podcast episodes
Season 2024
Inside the 2024 Indian Election with Dr. Anirvan Chowdhury
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.
Inside Religion, Nationalism, and Academic Freedom in Malaysia
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
Inside Religion and Politics in Marcos’ Philippines
Dr. Jayeel Cornelio, a visiting fellow at CAD, joins the pod to analyze the changing place of religion in Philippine politics. How have Catholic critics responded to the first eighteen months of Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s presidency? How does religion factor into reported tensions between the Marcos and Duterte camps? And how does religious nationalism in the Philippines compare to Christian nationalism’s influence in US politics?
Inside the Myanmar Civil War
Since February 2021, Myanmar has descended into one of the worst periods of its long-lasting civil war. Recent news reports indicate opposition gains on the battlefield, but what does it mean for the prospects for peace and democracy in the country? Professor Jacques Bertrand (University of Toronto) joins the pod to analyze the current prospects for political resolution.
Season 2023
Inside the 2024 Bangladesh Election
Drs. Shahab Enam Khan and Geoffrey Macdonald join the pod to spotlight the stakes of Bangladesh's upcoming January 2024 election. It is a tense pre-election period, with the primary opposition party vowing a boycott over allegations of electoral manipulation on the part of the incumbent Awami League and some violence in the streets. What are the likely outcomes of this political strategy? And could political instability impact the country's economic growth and even levels of political violence? Khan and Macdonald set the stage for the coming key month in Bangladesh's politics.