1. Reinventing Asian Populism: Jokowi's Rise, Democracy, and Political Contestation in Indonesia
- Author:
- Marcus Mietzner
- Publication Date:
- 02-2015
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- In the last two decades, populists around the world have celebrated a renaissance. As the role of political parties declines, and globalization creates socioeconomic uncertainties that unsettle anxious electorates, anti-establishment figures or movements have found it easy to attract support. Whether Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand, Narendra Modi in India, or Alexis Tsipras in Greece, populists have been able to mobilize voters by attacking a supposedly collective enemy (mostly, domestic or foreign forces accused of exploiting the country's economic resources) and by appealing to the poor as their main constituency. In some cases, populists have been so successful at the ballot box that established political forces resorted to violence to try removing them—as evidenced by the failed coup against Chavez in 2002, and the military overthrows of Thaksin in 2006 and of his sister, Yingluck, in 2014.
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia, India, Greece, Venezuela, and Thailand