Teaching Comparative

Democratization's Roadblocks

There was a good article in September 27th's Washington Post on the Thai coup and democratization. It draws comparisons with Venzuela and The Philippines. Although none of those countries are part of the AP curriculum, democratization definitely is, and there are lessons from this article that can be extended at least to Nigeria, Russia, and China.

Thai Coup Highlights Struggles Over Democracy

"...respect for [former Prime Minister] Thaksin -- still widely shared among the urban poor and rural farmers across the country's north and northeast -- underscores the core problems confronting Thailand and a host of other emerging nations as they try, and sometimes fail, to cultivate healthy democracies.

"Thaksin followed the path of other democratically elected leaders, like Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, who are accused of using their posts to enhance their power at the expense of democratic institutions...

"Experts say such populist-driven politics has exacerbated class divisions and created a significant hurdle to maintaining the rule of law for some developing countries. Well-educated middle- or upper-class Thais have generally embraced the coup as a regrettable but necessary step toward ending Thaksin's grip on power and ushering in a new constitution...

"Democracy advocates abroad, meanwhile, are viewing the case of Thailand -- an important regional ally of the United States and one of Southeast Asia's largest economies -- as particularly demoralizing.

"In the 15 years since the last military takeover here, Thailand had emerged as the region's model for democratic reform. Already, the jailed leaders of a February coup attempt against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have made comments to the foreign press hailing the successful military men of Bangkok as exemplary patriots.

"Analysts fear the Thai coup will also embolden existing military juntas, such as the one in neighboring Burma, to resist mounting international pressure to enact democratic reforms.

"'The comeback from other nations in the region when they are told to make democratic reforms will be, "Hey, look at Thailand. They couldn't make it work and the military had to take charge again,"' said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political analyst at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. 'Their argument will be that the people are just not eager for democracy and that the military men still know best.'..."

posted by Ken Wedding @ 11:34 AM