Coronavirus is paving the way for a return to military rule in Asia

As governments in Southeast Asia struggle to contain the spread of Covid-19, poor leadership, weak institutions and high levels of public mistrust have exposed the fragility of countries that made a transition to more democratic government over the past two decades. The worry is that coping with Covid-19 will mean a return to authoritarian habits, backed by military power. Two trends are discernible. The first is the tendency in those countries that have experienced either direct military rule…