The presidential candidacy campaigns are heating up in the United States. While the world hears so much from the different campaigns about how to tackle domestic issues, little has been said about the U.S. position in the promotion of democracy on the international stage. In the context of Southeast Asia, the role of the U.S. in supporting the democratization process is crucial; yet it continues to be obscured.
On Feb. 9, the U.S. and Thailand kicked off their annual military exercise under the code name, Cobra Gold. Initiated in 1980, Cobra Gold serves as a platform where now up to 13,000 American and Thai soldiers meet annually and conduct joint military exercises, bringing in both large paychecks and technological transfers to the Thai Army.
But Thailand is currently in the custody of a military regime. The Thai Army overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in a coup in May 2014. The military intervention in politics has long been normalized — with the country experiencing 20 coups since the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932.