My view on this is shaped by the situation in Asia, and in particular Bangladesh where I’m from. The former Bangladesh PM, Sheikh Hasina, was a despot but also

My view on this is shaped by the situation in Asia, and in particular Bangladesh where I’m from. The former Bangladesh PM, Sheikh Hasina, was a despot but also had a real democratic mandate, with 70% approval according to a polling by a U.S. organization: https://www.cfr.org/blog/new-bangladesh-survey-hasina-remains-popular-opposition-support-and-public-discontent-are https://www.cfr.org/blog/new-bangladesh-survey-hasina-remain.... The U.S. has giving her a hard time, however, for human rights issues. Which certainly existed—but which most people weren’t concerned about. I’ll leave aside my conspiracy theories about how much Anthony Blinken had to do with Hasina being overthrown last year. But we have a new government promising more liberalism but the security situation has deteriorated: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/4/gotham-but-no-batman-crime-wave-grips-dhaka-6-months-after-hasina-fled https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/4/gotham-but-no-ba.... Holding fair elections will be impossible, because the interim government has a tremendous incentive to ban Hasina’s party, which has long been the most popular party.