Thai Problems Solving Must Be Based on Democratic Means

Recently, the Newsweek published an interesting article entitled How Democracy Dies by Joshua Kurlantzick, an expert on Southeast Asia affairs of the Council of Foreign Relations. The article talked about political phenomena worldwide, saying the situation for democracy was worrying.

Reason for Regression
The article analyzed that democracy in several country had regressed and this happened in Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Russia and Asia. The main reason for the regression was the middle class people who used to fight for freedom and democracy by toppling dictatorial regimes. The article said the middle class people were seeing that it was hard to create true democracy so they became disappointed in the system.

The main reason that prompted the middle class people to feel so was the fact that leaders of several new democratic countries regarded elections as only a way to power. And after they won an election, they abused the administrative power and practiced nepotism. Their interpretation of democracy that way was distortion of democracy, and thus causing the public to lose faith in the democratic system.

Kurlantzick also analyzed that the economic crisis also affected democracy in certain countries because the middle class regarded that democracy and freedom came with the adoption of globalization and capitalism. After their income dropped because of the economic crisis, they blamed the democracy for the economic crisis.

Implementing Policies
The article cited examples from several countries, including the Philippines, Venezuela, Russia and Cambodia. Kurlantzick highlighted the case of Thailand as a graphic example. In the example, Kurlantzick talked about former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying he got the power through democratic means and implemented policies as promised during the election campaigns and helping the poor. But Thaksin eventually abused the authority. Kurlantzick also talked about the summary killings of drug suspects during Thaksin's war on drug and the disappearance of lawyer Somchai Nilaphaichit.

This is the view of a westerner who still remembers the administrative style of Thaksin. Kurlantzick also talked about the phenomenon of the middle class people in Bangkok becoming disappointed and calling for the use of special power and a coup instead of using democratic means to bring about changes by supporting the opposition or by pushing for changes via newspapers.

Kurlantzick recounted that the middle class reasoned that the coup needed to be staged to preserve democracy. And eventually, the middle class people got what they wanted - they could topple the Thaksin regime and destroy democracy at the same time.

Kurlantzick did not conclude who was right or wrong. He simply presented an analysis in a view of a foreigner. But he added that after the middle class caused the democracy to regress by a coup and other undemocratic means, the lower class people became dissatisfied, leading to protests. Kurlantzick said this did not happen only in Thailand but also in Bolivia and the Philippines.

His last observation in the article was that kind of fight destroyed system and mechanisms of the country administration as well as the people's rights and freedom. He said it would take a long time to rebuild these democratic elements and there is no guarantee that the rebuilding would be successful.

Solving National Crisis
So, I am sharing this article so that Thai people would know how other people are viewing our situation. Sometimes, all Thais are like being caught in the middle of a bout in which fighters are fiercely fighting with no indication that they would stop. When we see how our "audience" analyze and think about our situation, we may be able to see it through and find a way-out for solving our national crisis.

The principle that we need to adhere to and need to have a common stand is that democracy is the best system for providing equal political and economic chances to the people and for guaranteeing the rights and freedom of the people. All problem solving efforts must be based on democracy. What happened in the past should be regarded as a painful lesson and we should never choose a coup as a way-out again.

Check-and-Balance Mechanisms
Most of all, there must be mechanisms for sharing power so that all sides and all classes in the society will take part in the ruling with the feelings that they are all owners of the country. All interests must be equally distributed instead of being concentrated to only a group of people no matter whether they are old or neo fenders. And when someone has money and power, that person must use the power with justice instead of abusing it to benefit himself and associates. To achieve this, the check-and-balance mechanisms of the public and private sectors must be strengthened as soon as possible.

We are all humans no matter whether we are elites or ordinary people. We need to respect each other because if we fail to see each other's face and respect each other, we will end up fighting against each other.

Advance in Multilateralism, Socialism

The changes as the world enters the second decade of the 21st century have surprised many people. The global financial crisis in 2008 has created a new international situation. The world of the 21st century is taking a new shape. A new era is beginning.

New Beginning
1. Multilateralism is taking the increasingly decisive position in international affairs. At the 64th session of the UN General Assembly in Sept 2009 with the theme "Effective responses to global crises, strengthening multilateralism and dialogue among civilizations for international peace, security and development," more than 120 heads of state from around the world discussed a number of other important issues such as a nuclear-free world, the effort against terrorism, and solutions for the an increase in poverty that is a consequence of the financial crisis.

Even America, the leading power, has had to ask for help from other countries to solve problems that previously they had solved unilaterally. Multilateral cooperation on the regional and global scale is moving forward. Countries are studying and applying the trend to form regional associations like the European Union (EU). Africa and more recently East Asia and ASEAN are moving in that direction.

In politics and international security, like it or not, the global power game is still controlled by powerful countries. The political turf battle among the superpowers continues. NATO and the United States have gradually encroached into areas close to Russia, forcing Russia to stay on the alert. Newly-emerging countries are reaching into Africa, Latin America, and even Asian to find materials to fuel their development.

2. One remembers that at the end of 2008, the American National Intelligence Council (NIC) issued a report "Global Trends 2025" which forecast that the leading status of America would gradually decrease and the world would take on an increasingly multi-polar form.

In fact, the situation forecasted for the coming 15 years is happening right now. Global power transfer is accelerating. The new multi-polar world order that people have been talking about for a while is moving faster as American power declines. In 2009, China rose up to become the world's second largest economy after the US, surpassing Japan and Germany, and became a real power on the international political chessboard. And Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC), the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, have affirmed their role in the world instead of waiting for the two decades that had been forecast by the NIC. Even the G20 has risen to surpass the status of the G7-G8.

3. The present financial crisis and economic recession show that the modern capitalist model is facing serious challenges, and its innate defects are exposed. As they deal with the crisis, many countries have adopted the primary methods of socialism, such as strengthening state intervention in economic and social management which have become a topic for many researchers.

The development of Latin American left wing movements with the aim of establishing socialist countries in 21st century shows that the road to socialism did not completely disappear after the collapse of Soviet Union and system change in Eastern Europe, as some people thought. Nostalgia for a stable, peaceful, and secure society is a notable ideological current in Russia and Eastern Europe.

4. With the end of the cold war, and with no confrontations in the bipolar world, people had the illusion that international affairs would demilitarize. But the brief period of a mono-polar world led into a worldwide arms race. America is the leading country, accounting for more than a half of global military expenses. The American military budget continues to break records; in 2010 it will be more than $600 billion. The possibility of the spread of nuclear weapons is on the horizon. Crises on nuclear issues in Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) continue to run hot and cold in unpredictable ways.

No western country approved the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, nuclear deterrence has reappeared, and more countries have nuclear weapons. These developments make the nuclear disarmament process more urgent than ever.

5. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, bloody conflicts in the Middle East, Southern Asia, and Africa have not stopped. Peace in Middle East is still a dream of the Arabs and the Jews, but inexplicably they have not found a common voice. The final peace agreement between Palestine and Israel is still far away. The dark continent is still in a state of confusion, with numerous conflicts and consequences of civil wars. Somalia and Congo are still sunk in violence. The fight against terrorism continues. Extremism and breakaway movements are dark forces that cause trauma for many countries.

6. Economic, communications, environmental, and food security are getting more attention from the world. The climate change summit in Copenhagen in December 2009 expressed the concern and aspiration of the whole world for a more secure and peaceful living environment.

7. In the coming years, America will still be determined to protect its superpower status in the challenging context, and it will not be easy. The EU, China, Russia, Japan, India, and others do not hide their ambitions, and do not hesitate to take actions for a share of power in the world. People think that by 2020, three of the four largest economies in the world will be in Asia including China, India and Japan. The Asia-Pacific century is taking shape more clearly than ever.

Current International System
The transfer of wealth and power from west to east will take place on an unprecedented scale and speed that will determine the direction of modern history.

These great changes will not completely break the current international system, but the re-shaping process of the 21st century is happening now. New races will start on different levels and scales, with new risks and challenges.