After a brief period of optimism that accompanied the emergence of new nation-states, Southeast Asian politics experienced the impact of the Cold War which turned the region into a hotbed of mass violence. An estimated number of seven million people lost their lives, while fragile democracies were replaced by authoritarian regimes, postponing further democratization to the end of the 20th century.

中文翻译：

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光明的未来，迫在眉睫的危险

在伴随着新民族国家出现的短暂乐观之后，东南亚政治经历了冷战的影响，使该地区成为大规模暴力的温床。估计有 700 万人丧生，而脆弱的民主国家被专制政权所取代，将进一步的民主化推迟到 20 世纪末。