Bangladesh, Sept. 25 -- Western audiences never seem to tire of revolutions. The imagery is irresistible: young students taking to the streets, chanting against corruption, defying an unpopular government, and, in the end, forcing an entrenched leader from power. It is a story tailor-made for headlines and cable news soundbites: the triumph of “people power” over tyranny.

But as Nepal demonstrates yet again, such stories are often less about democratic awakening and more about democratic breakdown.

In September, Nepal descended into chaos after the government of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, a self-described Marxist, banned 26 social media platforms, from X to WhatsApp. The ban struck a raw nerve in a country where more th...