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This paper introduces a special issue that examines civil society and democratic decline in Southeast Asia. Using the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Cambodia as case studies, the articles in the special issue examine often divergent reactions in civil society to increasing authoritarian pressures, diminishing political space, and increased repression. The paper at hand reviews the literature on concepts at the core of this inquiry, including civil society, backsliding, and diagonal accountability, and summarises the main findings of the special issue for Southeast Asia specifically and more broadly.