Graduation Year

2024

Date of Submission

4-2024

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

International Relations

Reader 1

Jennifer Taw

Rights Information

© 2024 Nadine Zahiruddin

Abstract

The nonprofit Freedom House reported that in 2023, global freedom declined for the 18th consecutive year. This thesis aims to conduct a comparative analysis of democratic backsliding in two diverse yet significant cases: the United States and Indonesia. Despite the global trend toward democratization in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, many established democracies have experienced significant democratic backsliding. This thesis seeks to answer the questions of what makes democracies inherently more vulnerable to backsliding and decline, and I do so by conducting a comparative analysis of Indonesia and the United States–two diverse yet significant cases.

After completing my research, I argue that the inherent characteristics of democracies, particularly their emphasis on openness and pluralism, make them vulnerable to manipulation by authoritarian or authoritarian-like leaders who cloak their actions under the guise of promoting democracy. Specifically, I posit that due to the emphasis on openness in democracies, democratic norms, crucial for the resilience of democratic systems, are easily exploited by leaders for their own political gains. Additionally, I argue that democratic institutions, often structured by elites, tend to serve the interests of these elites, thereby leaving democracies vulnerable to phenomena such as the "tyranny of the majority" or "elite capture" in the future. The convergence of these factors leaves democracies highly susceptible to manipulation and eventual backsliding, as shown by the actions of leaders like Donald Trump and Joko Widodo in recent presidential administrations.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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