Democracy and its Alternatives In an interview with U.S. magazine Time Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema said when asked whether the involvement of Hezbollah in Lebanon's political process not to the risk that, fundamentalists to lift type: "The risk exists for sure, but there is no alternative to democracy". When that assessment, the one with a winning increasingly important democratic principle in international law bill? Against the background of the military coup in Thailand and the tame response of the EU and the United States an unlimited affirmation is not adequate to reality.
On 19 September the Thai military ousted the elected government of Thaksin Shinawatra. Criticism of Thaksin Shinawatra and his financial transactions, was credible media reports, attached. In a democratic state, however, conflicts are not fought with weapons but with options. The Prime Minister would have the people in a free and fair election must be voted out or prosecuted for an impeachment trial. As the Thai Constitutional Court demonstrated in its cancellation of the early elections to the House of Representatives in April 2006, the Prime Minister of democratic politics questionable actions by other branches of government were eventually offered. With the coup, the generals, however, have brought the Thai people for their voice and the Thai authorities took the opportunity to respond within the existing constitutional arc. If the main interest of the military, as was claimed, a return to "true democracy" - which implies that these perverted by Thaksin Shinawatra was - It is questionable why they dismissed the government and parliament, the Constitution overrides martial law declared and restricted media freedom as well as the activities of political parties.
silence in the West
Given the importance of the principle of democracy and the legitimacy of democratically elected governments around the world would be a clear statement of the international community have been appropriate. This is, however, was omitted.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said though, the coup was a "step backwards for Thailand," and Condoleezza Rice described him as a dangerous U-turn "for Southeast Asia (after all, had only a few months tried before Philippine military forces to overthrow President Gloria Arroyo). In addition to general references to a possible suspension of the ongoing negotiations on a free trade zone two weeks were frozen after the coup, 24 million U.S. dollars in military aid. This does not apply are humanitarian assistance (such as HIV / AIDS), the financial support of disease control and cooperation in the fight against terror.
The EU reacted more reserved: the evening of the coup, the Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen said in his capacity as EU Council President, that the events from the EU would very much regretted, a return to democracy is necessary without a wait. On 20 September Vanhanen confirmed again should a withdrawal of the military leaders in favor of a democratically elected government and remove the state of emergency without further delay and respect human and civil rights. The call for the threat of sanctions by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, for example by CDU Bundestag Member and development experts Jürgen Klimke was formulated, however, not met.
democracy in international law
is the democracy in international law classified? First, it is clear that international treaties to guarantee human rights protection is not a "right to democracy". However, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ICCPR and the European and American Convention on Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on securitize a free and fair elections in its implementation-to-find right to participate in state. Evidence of consistent State practice of participatory rights provides a view of democracy-related activities of international organizations at the universal, regional and subregional levels, it is not considered a coincidence that the correlation within the practice to light coming human rights standards to free and fair elections with those standards, by international election observation missions have been developed.
Meanwhile can therefore be assumed that a right has migrated to political participation as part of free and fair, and periodic general, secret and competitive elections of its contractual fixing to the state practice and the norm has found recognition of customary international law. That is: It is certainly the case for Thailand. The disempowerment of the Prime Minister and one-year postponement of the elections, the military violated the right of the Thai population to democratic participation in free and fair elections.
"guns, crooks, Gold
In the report Voice of America quoted the South-East Asia expert Patricio Abinales of the Kyoto University. She reports that in would won many elections in the region through the voices of "guns, goons and gold". to tread on the path to national unity, which prescribes the Thai military, it has already achieved an improvement: army chief Sonthi Boonyaratklin was in Thailand not by guns, crooks and gold gained power, but only by guns - and to the price of violation of the sovereignty of the Thai population and the international legal principle of democracy. Its weakness, however, must be the international community can be criticized for: Who is silent seems to agree. It had the largest diplomatic conference in the political history together, which came of State and Government at adopted the World Summit of the United Nations of September 2005 with a consensus a final document that contains a clear commitment to human rights, rule of law and democracy: Human rights, rule of law and democracy ", it says there are" interconnected, mutually reinforcing and belong to the universal and indivisible fundamental values and principles of the United Nations . overlook "Without that, after assessment of the Global Survey 2006 the think tank Freedom House only two-thirds of the Member States of the United Nations (122 of 192) democracies is clear that Thailand has adopted for the present from the international community of values.
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