event

The Perils of Polarization in Southeast Asia

Wed. September 23rd, 2020
Live Online

Rising levels of political polarization are hurting democracy in many Southeast Asian countries. The coronavirus pandemic is only ratcheting up political pressures further. Drawing on a new Carnegie Endowment report, “Political Polarization in South and Southeast Asia: Old Divisions, New Dangers," this event will examine two critical cases—Indonesia and Thailand—to gain a regional understanding of why polarization is increasing, its political effects, and how political and civic actors can take steps to address it.

This event is being held in collaboration with Freedom House.

To submit a question for the event, please use the YouTube chat or tweet at us @CarnegieDCG.

 
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Thomas Carothers

Harvey V. Fineberg Chair for Democracy Studies; Director, Democracy, Conflict and Governance Program

Thomas Carothers, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, is a leading expert on comparative democratization and international support for democracy.

Janjira Sombatpoonsiri

Janjira Sombatpoonsiri is a research fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies and an assistant professor at Thailand's Chulalongkorn University. Her current research focuses on autocratic weaponization of disinformation laws, digital propaganda and conflict narratives in Southeast Asia, and digital repression of protest movements. Her academic articles appear in, for instance, International Journal of Communication, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Voluntas, and Journal of Peace Research. She is a regional manager for the Digital Society Project.

David Timberman

David Timberman is director for Asia programs at Freedom House.

Eve Warburton

Eve Warburton is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Asia Research Institute of the National University of Singapore.