This essay asks: Do modernize Asian societies share social and political values that make 'Western' liberal democracy unsuitable for their peoples, and favor an 'illiberal' more authoritarian version of democracy instead? Five Southeast Asian political systems that exemplify these two forms of democracy are described, and arguments on both sides of the 'Asian values' debate are presented. The essay ends by suggesting why different Southeast Asian leaders have chosen one or the other of these contrasting forms of democracy. Some predictions are made concerning the prospects for liberal democracy in the region.