Democracy is harder than western flip-flops make out

This is an opinion item.

Author(s)	Jonathan Steele
Source	The Guardian
Date	September 22, 2006
URL	http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,,1878410,00.html
Quote	"Each country's politics are specific. But one guideline should surely be clear: removing the army from its role as the arbiter of politics and transforming it into a normal civic institution that serves rather than runs the state is a crucial principle for any new or old democracy. What happened in Thailand this week was therefore a step backwards."

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This item argues against the position The coup was justified on the topic 2006 Thailand coup d'état.