Singapore is a business-friendly, illiberal democracy, or what some political scientists call a “competitive authoritarian regime,” or a “façade electoral” system. So there’s much in that island nation for Americans to learn about their own future.

Kirsten Han is a great guide: She runs We, The Citizens, a newsletter covering Singapore from a rights-based perspective, and is the managing editor of Mekong Review, an Asia-focused literary journal. She is also a key member of the Transformative Justice Collective, which works towards the end of the death penalty and Singapore’s war on drugs.

In this conversation, we discuss:

* Singapore’s political landscape

* The illusion of democracy, media control, and freedom of expression

* Activism and civil society in Singapore

* The LGBTQ community and social change

* Public perceptions of the death penalty

* Cultural context of drug policies, sex work vs. drugs

* The loneliness of activism

* How activists are targeted in Singapore

The Rhyming Chaos podcast is produced by Jeremy Goldkorn and Maria Repnikova, and edited by Cadre Scripts. The theme music is Paper Boy, composed and performed on the guzheng by Wu Fei. Our closing music is Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, arranged and performed by Wu Fei. Our cover art is by Li Yunfei.

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