A country famous for its compromising ways has the capacity to navigate out of its democratic dead end. A self-enlightened establishment as fronted by Abhisit that can embrace and bargain with ordinary reds and their alternative leadership to reject Thaksin is Thailand’s way forward. Otherwise the topsy-turvy violence and mayhem seen recently may lead to an implosion of a once-vibrant democracy in the developing world.

– Extracted from Thitinan Pongsudhirak, “Thailand’s Democratic Dead-End”, Opinion Asia, 13 June 2010.