America threw out the diplomacy playbook
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This is how it was done in "the old days":
If a US representative planned a statement to or about the Thai government, then the representative would contact a Thai counterpart about it.
Sometimes wording was negotiated to be, to one degree or another, acceptable to both sides.
At the very least, outright (and possibly unpleasant) surprises were avoided.
Somehow that seems to me to be a more professional approach to things – if anyone is concerned about being professional in foreign affairs anymore.
Guy Baker
