Robin Ramcharan – författare

This book offers a regional analysis of the impact of fake news – misinformation, malinformation and disinformation – on electoral democracy and freedom of expression in Southeast Asia, which has taken place in the middle of a global health pandemic.

The book maps the impact of social media and the internet on democracy in the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that have already been in the throes of democratic regression for some time. Including an analysis of countries that do not have national elections, the chapters provide detailed information on the extent of internet and social media penetration in each country, the laws that are deployed to reel in its political potential for critics and demonstrate the impact on democracy or the prospects for democracy. Collectively, contributors note that disinformation is a serious problem in the region that negatively impacts elections and how governments’ attempts to deal with the phenomenon inevitably lead to the targeting of dissenting voices and opposition as anti-state fake news. The deleterious impact on democracy and freedom of expression, facilitated by a citizenry that is prone to manipulation of facts, appears to be the standard modus operandi in the regional authoritarian complex.

This book is the first to undertake a regional analysis of disinformation in Southeast Asia and is a significant contribution to the literature on democracy, elections and disinformation. It will be of interest to researchers in the fields of Political Science and Asian Politics, in particular Southeast Asian Politics.

This book offers a regional analysis of the impact of fake news – misinformation, malinformation and disinformation – on electoral democracy and freedom of expression in Southeast Asia, which has taken place in the middle of a global health pandemic.

The book maps the impact of social media and the internet on democracy in the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that have already been in the throes of democratic regression for some time. Including an analysis of countries that do not have national elections, the chapters provide detailed information on the extent of internet and social media penetration in each country, the laws that are deployed to reel in its political potential for critics and demonstrate the impact on democracy or the prospects for democracy. Collectively, contributors note that disinformation is a serious problem in the region that negatively impacts elections and how governments’ attempts to deal with the phenomenon inevitably lead to the targeting of dissenting voices and opposition as anti-state fake news. The deleterious impact on democracy and freedom of expression, facilitated by a citizenry that is prone to manipulation of facts, appears to be the standard modus operandi in the regional authoritarian complex.

This book is the first to undertake a regional analysis of disinformation in Southeast Asia and is a significant contribution to the literature on democracy, elections and disinformation. It will be of interest to researchers in the fields of Political Science and Asian Politics, in particular Southeast Asian Politics.

This book systematically documents the practice of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) on the protection of human rights. It provides a template of universal standards, spanning prevention, response and mitigation, and redress and remedies, from which to gauge the performance of the AICHR. The evidence points to a Commission that leaves much to be desired and whose protective function needs significant improvement. Nevertheless, the National Representatives of Member States to the AICHR have taken important and positive steps that lay the groundwork for a more protection-oriented Commission. The work offers avenues for the National Representatives, the ASEAN Member States and civil society to enhance the protection function of the AICHR and to thus more closely align it with hard-won international standards and best practices. The book will be of interest to representatives of the AICHR, human rights practitioners, ASEAN policymakers, and academics, students, researchers and policymakers in the areas of international relations, human rights law and Asian studies.

This book systematically documents the practice of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) on the protection of human rights. It provides a template of universal standards, spanning prevention, response and mitigation, and redress and remedies, from which to gauge the performance of the AICHR. The evidence points to a Commission that leaves much to be desired and whose protective function needs significant improvement. Nevertheless, the National Representatives of Member States to the AICHR have taken important and positive steps that lay the groundwork for a more protection-oriented Commission. The work offers avenues for the National Representatives, the ASEAN Member States and civil society to enhance the protection function of the AICHR and to thus more closely align it with hard-won international standards and best practices. The book will be of interest to representatives of the AICHR, human rights practitioners, ASEAN policymakers, and academics, students, researchers and policymakers in the areas of international relations, human rights law and Asian studies.

This book analyses the UN’s Agenda 2030 and reveals that progress is lagging on all five interlocking and interdependent themes that are discussed: conflict prevention, development, peace, justice and human rights. Many voices have already been raised, including that of the UN Secretary-General that the Sustainable Development Goals will not be met by 2030 unless there is a re-doubling of efforts. Still, on development as such, there is much striving. 

The book puts the concept of preventive diplomacy into all of the issues of modern international relations, from the US/China confrontation to the various conflicts bedeviling Africa. It bridges the two worlds of the international relations specialist on the one hand and that of the academic interested in UN affairs on the other hand. There is normally little contact between those two specializations. The authors have taken several current issues to show how the millennium debates and the SDG targets are relevant to "realist school" conflicts, and that there is work under way to operationalize ideas and theories in this respect. 

This is the first ever discussion of the conflict prevention dimension in the UN’s Agenda 2030 which seeks to advance sustainable development with a view to reinforcing peace and justice on the foundations of respect for universal human rights.