The notion of multiparty democracy as an ideal, one-size-fits-all form of government is not exactly bowling people over these days. Take a look at Thailand and the Philippines, which Washington has often enshrined on its ideological placards as a pair of shining democracies amid a political landscape otherwise littered with brutal dictatorships, severe one-party quasi-democracies or whatever.
Goodbye to fantasy island: Manila's fragile democracy is in turmoil over serious allegations that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo manipulated the results of her re-election in 2004. In Bangkok, Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned over a firestorm of charges involving family corruption and political incompetence.
In Asia, a lot of people say that elections are meaningless rituals if they do not produce good results. Pakistan, for example, had a parliamentary democratic system that was as corrupt as could be. In truth, things didn't improve until General Pervez Musharraf took over and started to knock some sense into the place.
Strongmen are not necessarily a bad thing if they are smart and their hearts are in the right place. Did you know that otherwise democratic Thailand actually has a king? And did you know that the Thai people in general tend to like and respect him? So much so that when King Bhumibol Adulyadej called Mr Thaksin in for a chat the other day, the widespread belief was that after the king was finished speaking, millionaire-businessman Mr Thaksin would be finished politically. And he was.
Or take the political situation in Singapore. This tiny city state is as politically stable as Vatican City, and sometimes it seems almost as wealthy. The prime architect of successful modern Singapore, with the highest standard of living in Southeast Asia, was Lee Kuan Yew, now 82.
Mr Lee has been called every name in the western political insult book - from 'the little Hitler of Southeast Asia' to the kinder 'soft authoritarian'. But in my book he is nothing short of a political genius who is showing people that multiparty democracy peopled by semi-corrupt politicians and well-heeled special-interest lobbies does not always produce anything like the best governance.
As it turns out, the 'little Hitler' himself was in Saudi Arabia last month, and the king, prince and advisers were bowing to him as if he were some kind of secular political pope. They all wanted the details on how Singapore has managed to become so wealthy, have such a squeaky-clean environment, enable most families to own rather than rent their homes, and offer first-rate public education.