Double standards and the bigger picture
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Overseas critics of Thailand's latest coup should be asked this simple question: Is Thailand the only democracy that is failing?
The answer is no.
Countries like Egypt and Libya, Greece and Russia and even China cannot be counted as “more democratic” than Thailand.
Saudi Arabia, an oil-rich country that has absolutely no representative government, is not on the US list of states to be targeted for being undemocratic.
On the other side of the coin, law-abiding Thais are wondering why some world leaders give their support to a fugitive from justice, Thaksin Shinawatra.
What is the ethical, or even democratic, reasoning behind their actions?
Eventually, the best explanation for Thailand’s most recent democratic “hitch” will be that, sometimes, in order to move forward, you must first step backward.
Vint Chavala
Bangkok
