Even viewing the spectacle from afar, it is utterly brutal on the emotions to observe an otherwise wondrous people and culture tearing itself in two. No one who has ever been treated to the endless charm and hospitality of the Thai people could be blamed for practically breaking into tears over the sight of the crackdown in Bangkok.
The sadness before us: the transformation of the land of the smiles into the frowns of the clowns. Clowns, in a sense, yes — because the responsible people of Thailand, on both sides, surely know better than to have let it come down to this. Even if the eventual end point of this prolonged convulsion is a properly politically integrated Thailand, the short-term cost will be enormous. Forget about tourism and forget about foreign investment, the prerequisite for which is political stability.
Until recently, in fact, Thailand offered stability in considerable abundance. The politics of the country revolved around the ritual of the monarchy. The people's perception of the king and his court as the nation's benevolent if unassertive hub minimized the importance of the politicians and seemed to suffuse the entire political culture with a kind of saffron softness.