Why Theravāda Buddhist Nations Struggle with Democracy

Why Theravāda Buddhist Nations Struggle with Democracy

Ten years back, I worked on an article (as yet unpublished) with the late Columbia University professor Alfred C. Stepan. Al was troubled by the political developments in Myanmar and Thailand — not to mention Sri Lanka, Laos, and Cambodia. At the time, Myanmar had yet to allow civilians to head the government, Thailand had experienced two recent military coups, and Sri Lanka had undergone a bloody civil war. The key driving research question was…