Asian_Geographic_Issue_4_2017

(John Hannent) #1
RUSSIAN FEDERATION

MONGOLIA

SOUTH
KOREA

JAPAN
CHINA

NORTH
KOREA

INDIA

BHUTAN

NEPAL

TAIWAN

BANGLADESH

CAMBODIA PHILIPPINES

VIETNAM

THAILAND

LAOS

MYANMAR

PALAU

INDONESIA EAST TIMOR

SINGAPORE

BRUNEI

MALAYSIA

Sea of
Japan
(East Sea)

East
China
Sea

Philippine
Sea

KAZAKHSTAN

TAJIKISTAN

UZBEKISTANKYRGYZSTAN
TURKMENISTAN

AZERBAIJIAN

IRAQ IRAN
KUWAIT PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

Arabian
Sea Bay of
Bengal

SAUDI
ARABIA
OMAN

YEMEN

BAHRAIN
QATAR
UAE
Red sea

SYRIA

ISRAEL JORDAN

PALESTINE

LEBANON

TURKEY

SRI LANKA

Black
Sea

Caspian
Sea

States of Transition


DEMOCRACY HAS NUMEROUS SHADES OF GREY, WHICH IS WHY IT IS USEFUL
TO MEASURE DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE THROUGH THE DEMOCRACY INDEX

Democracy is a label applied
quite liberally by states, but it’s
worth noting that while several
countries proclaim themselves
as democratic, this is not always
the case in practice. Democracy is
understood to be a political system
that elects its governments through
free and fair elections, and which
requires the active participation of
citizens in politics and civic life. By
this definition, the application of the
label to the political landscape of
some states that declare themselves
democratic requires a hefty pinch of
salt – which is why we’ve included the
country’s ranking in the Democracy
Index as a means of measurement.

The Democracy Index
Categorises countries as one of four regime types:

FULL DEMOCRACIES (RAngE 8–10)
There are no countries that are deemed full or “pure”
democracies in Asia

FLAWED DEMOCRACIES (RAngE 6–8)
Practise free elections but may have weak
governance, an underdeveloped political culture
and poor levels of political participation

HYBRID REgIME (RAngE 4–6)
Combine democratic traits, such as elections, with
autocratic practices, such as political repression

AUt HORItARIAn (RAngE 0–4)
Countries ruled by a single government or person
who has unlimited authority, and where people have
limited political freedoms

Flawed Democracies
Range 6–8
Hybrid Regimes
Range 4–6
Authoritarian Regimes
Range 0–4

LEgEnDS

In FOCUS

Free download pdf