The Dangerous Revival: How Southeast Asia Is Rehabilitating Its Authoritarian Past

Nov 18, 2025 12:55 am CST

Indonesia's recent elevation of former dictator Suharto to national hero status exemplifies a troubling trend across Southeast Asia where authoritarian figures are being rehabilitated through historical revisionism. This phenomenon, fueled by generational amnesia and selective memory, threatens democratic institutions as younger citizens unfamiliar with dictatorial oppression become vulnerable to authoritarian nostalgia. Similar patterns in the Philippines, Thailand, and Cambodia demonstrate how perceived stability under strongmen creates dangerous opportunities for democratic backsliding across the region.