In the vast setting of South Asia, where monsoons set the pace for much of the year in ancient cities sprinkled with a colonial heritage that blends with dreams of modernity, revolutions often follow a similar pattern: young people who take to the streets because they are fed up with corruption and abuses by authoritarian rulers, regardless of whether some of them were democratically elected or came to power through military coups.
Chaos, road barricades, buildings on fire, looting, bloody clashes between youthful protesters and trigger-happy police... The scenes have been repeated in various corners. The playbook, from both sides, is very similar.
Some revolutions bring about significant political and social changes, as has happened in recent days in Nepal, where the Parliament literally went up in flames and the prime minister resigned. Something similar occurred a year ago in Bangladesh, when the prime minister fled the country by helicopter after being overthrown by a massive uprising led by tens of thousands of students.
Other Asian revolutions, despite their justified demands or the support of Western powers, have generated a lot of noise but no progress. For example, since 2020, the youth of Thailand have taken to the streets several times in unsuccessful attempts to overturn the lese majesty law that protects the untouchable and eccentric King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Recently, the social pressure from other massive protests in Bangkok, also led by young people, did succeed in getting the Constitutional Court to suspend Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for a call she made to the considered de facto leader of Cambodia, Hun Sen, amid a military crisis between Thais and Cambodians.