Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia Activities in 2018-2019 www.kas.de Editorial In the face of the various forms of populist, uni- We commemorated the 20th anniversary of the lateralist and protectionist policies and measures ”Asia-Europe Think Tank Dialogue” and celebrated becoming increasingly dominant in regions around the 10th anniversary of the “Consortium of South the world, it has become imperative to uphold the Asian Think Tanks” (COSATT). Our “ASEAN Security values of the global liberal order and multilateral Connectivity” project and the attached publication institutions. Furthermore, as the challenges and have found a lot of interest with the ASEAN chair problems we face become more complex in this for 2020, Vietnam. We also launched two new inter-connected world – such as counter-terrorism, initiatives: The Asia/Pacific-German Strategic Dia- climate change, digital divide, refugees, and mari- logue focuses on establishing a constant exchange time security among others – common problems between German and Asian policymakers on top- need a more collaborative approach not only ics of common concern. The Young Asian Security within states but also between states and between Network brings together a group of young experts regions, to explore forward-looking, innovative from the Asia-Pacific region working in the field of and practical policies. foreign and security affairs. The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Political Dialogue We forayed deeper into the field of digitalisation Asia programme continues to provide platforms through our conferences and publications. We not and tools for think tanks, academics, politicians, only created platforms for different stakeholders and non-governmental organisations to collabo- to understand the impact of the digital transforma- rate in the exploration of such solutions to these tion in Asia and Europe but also held workshops challenges to liberal democracies, multilateralism, in Bangladesh and Singapore to discuss the rec- peace and security. Through our various events, ommendations of the United Nations’ High-Level publications and networks we strive to build syner- Panel on Digital Cooperation. And in the midst gies not only within Asia but also between Asia and of all of this, we found a new home in Singapore, Europe for such collaborative efforts. moving our offices from Chinatown to a bigger and more representative space in Lavender. We are pleased to present our annual brochure for the years 2018-2019. Continuing our endeav- Our partners with their expertise and knowledge our to promote dialogue and exchange across the along with their valuable inputs for our projects region and with Europe, the Political Dialogue Asia have played a pivotal role in the realisation of our programme continued its efforts to strengthen our events. We take this opportunity to thank them focus areas on enhancing security, empowering and we look forward to future collaboration and leaders, fostering transnational cooperation and cooperation in the years ahead. understanding digital impacts across Asia and Europe. The last two years were very eventful for the KAS PDA programme. Our “Konrad Adenauer School for Young Politicians” (KASYP) started its tenth batch and we had a jubilee celebration which saw Christian Echle the participation of more than a hundred alumni. Director, Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia Contents 1 Politics & Good Governance – Empowering Leaders 03 2 Security – Enhancing Confidence and Trust 32 3 About Us 43 4 Regional Integration – Fostering Transnational Cooperation 47 5 Digitalisation – Understanding Digital Impact 67 to update Politics & Good Governance – Empowering Leaders As in the rest of the world, political culture has Adenauer School for Young Politicians (KASYP), seen a rapid change in Asia over the last few years. the Asian Women Parliamentarian Caucus (AWPC), The rise of strongmen, the spreading of fake news and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung E-lection Bridge and a focus on national strength are only a few Asia-Pacific. developments which are challenging a democratic and multilateral political order in the region. This is The KASYP training programme is our main plat- a time when we need more leaders who advocate, form to train the youth in political party building, respect and exercise freedom, equality, justice, local governance and development, political transparency, accountability, human rights, and campaigning, project design and implementation, other democratic values. We need leaders who can and international relations. Meanwhile, the AWPC uphold these democratic values and reinvigorate is a regional network that focuses on increasing democratic governance. women’s participation in politics and governments, and mainstreaming women gender issues through The Political Dialogue Asia of Konrad Adenauer policymaking, political dialogue, and exchange of Foundation continues to give importance to em- expertise. Furthermore, the KAS E-lection Bridge powering the youth and women so that they are Asia-Pacific is another regional platform that allows able to meaningfully participate in government and political campaign managers, political strategists, politics. We help build their capacities through vari- and political communication experts to share their ous thematic studies and field immersions, policy knowledge, experiences, and expertise in manag- discussions, political dialogue, and skills training. ing political campaigns and winning elections in a This empowerment objective is achieved through democratic environment. three regional programmes, namely, the Konrad Democracy’s Future: Bright or Bleak? This article is an excerpt of the first three chap- ministration, exhibited marginal changes at the ters of International Institute for Democracy and time of the analysis. Electoral Assistance’s new publication, The Global State of Democracy, a comprehensive analysis of the challenges facing democratic countries around the world. The recent global developments affecting govern- ments paint an increasingly bleak picture of the future of democracy. This includes the rise of pop- ulism and the election of populist leaders as well as the surprising results of direct democracy instru- ments such as the Brexit referendum. Polarising transnational problems like migration, conflict, and climate change make us rethink if democracy is in decline or relevant to our current times. This first Diagram 1: International IDEA’s Conceptual attempt to assess the global state of democracy is Framework of the Global State of Democracy. timely in providing hard evidence to resolve the contrasting claims regarding the future of democ- racy as a political system. Despite the continuing challenges of corruption and extremism, and new threats to democracy The first chapter presents the state of democ- such as the rise of populism, worsening climate racy by looking at the global and regional event change, and other transborder problems, de- patterns extracted from the Global State of De- mocracy has exhibited some characteristics that mocracy (GSoD) indices. From 1975 to 2015, the allowed it to survive over time. The second chap- study found strong evidence that democracy, in ter of the study discusses the characteristics that general, is improving despite the challenges it has contributed to the flexibility, adaptability, and in- encountered in recent years. Albeit it provides a novativeness of this political system. As shown in limited view of democracy, the conduct of elec- Diagram 2, these characteristics are the inherent tions serves as a supporting argument for this responses of a democratic system when it comes finding. The data suggest an increasing number of under attack. These pressures may be addressed governments determined by competitive elections, in different ways: democratic backsliding could be from 46 countries in 1975 to 132 in 2016. This is avoided with stronger accountability measures in an incease of almost 300% in the number of elec- governments; post-conflict transitions, migration, toral democracies. However, the global democracy and inequality could be addressed with more inclu- evolution is not completely positive as one third sive social, economic, and political programmes; of all countries still remain under autocratic rule corruption and policy capture could be checked and 24 nations experienced democratic reversals with improved transparency and a culture of in- in 2015. Meanwhile, based on the organisation’s tegrity; and lastly, crisis of representation could be comprehensive definition of democracy (as shown resolved with strengthened citizen engagement. in Diagram 1), the GSoD indices paint a hopeful future for this political system. Four out of the five One of the major threats to democracy’s resil- dimensions of democracy, namely (1) representa- ience is democratic backsliding. This includes the tive government, (2) fundamental rights, (3) checks overthrow of elected governments by coup d’état, on government, and (4) participatory engagement, election of authoritarians into power, abuse of have progressed, while the fifth, (5) impartial ad- powers by the executive branch of government, 4 Politics & Good Governance – Empowering Leaders expression of resistance to the change in status quo or the effects on the benefits they enjoy in a democratic environment. But, what is worrying is the negative effects of a democratic backslide event on people’s lives and public safety. The study has observed that disturbance of the public order occurs after