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22. Sep 2006

Demokrati, hvad er det?

 
Der har været nogle ret underlige, nærmest betænkelige, reaktioner på sidste uges kup i Thailand i sidste uge - selv Raapil, som ellers burde vide bedre, hopper med på vognen.

Jonathan Steele pinder det ud i en analyse i The Guardian:
There's something odd about the foreign reaction to Thailand's coup this week. Western governments have tut-tutted in a mild sort of way before hurrying to do business with the new military junta. Many foreign commentators have gone further, even welcoming the coup as they portray the ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, as a vulgar authoritarian who deserved to lose power. If other analysts are still hesitating over what line to take, it seems to be because of doubts over the Thai king's view.

If he approves the coup, which his call for calm yesterday indicates he does, then it's OK. If he says he doesn't, then the junta must pack up and go. It all seems rather rum. You instinctively applaud a bunch of generals, then nervously wait to see whether an unelected monarch says you're right. Where is that talk about supporting "new democracies" and "countries in transition"? Gone down the Bangkok river.
Det sidste har jeg også tænkt på: Hvoraf denne pludselige veneration for kongen som dommer over et militærkup?

Som Steele siger: Dette er et skridt tilbage, ikke et skridt frem. Man kan ikke drive politik med et magtfuldt militær raslende med sablen i baggrunden. Denne militære indblanden var det, der gjorde Latinamerika til et slagtehus i 70erne, og Tyrkiet i 80erne.

Men måske vi er tilbage i den kolde krigs magtpolitik, hvor demokrati var noget vi gerne så indført i lande, hvis politik vi var uenig med - og for Guds skyld ikke andre steder:
Six years earlier there had been another coup in an Asian country. A general in Pakistan called Pervez Musharraf closed parliament and banned political parties. His actions were more extreme than those of the Thai junta, and the initial reaction abroad was tougher. The British Commonwealth suspended the country from the club and other governments imposed a few soft sanctions. They lapsed quickly enough, and under Musharraf, now described as president, Pakistan has become an honoured member of the west's international war on terror.
Det korte af det lange er, at militærkuppet var et skridt tilbage for regionen - ikke frem. Et sandt fremskridt vilel det have været, om militæret var manøvreret ud, hvor det ikke længere kunne foretage nogen kup - og en korrupt statsleder til gengæld kunne sættes fra bestillingen ved andre midler, for eksempel retslige.

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