In Indonesia, the region's most lauded democracy, a former general, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, runs the show. In Burma, generals call the shots. In fact, the government in Burma is an 18 year old junta.
Warns Amitav Acharya, deputy director of Nanyang Technical University's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies in Singapore,"If Thailand today, who is next? The Philippines, Cambodia, or most importantly, Indonesia? ASEAN will be haunted by these uncertainties."
We may all be haunted by the uncertainties caused by an erosion of the number of democratically elected governments world-wide.
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Writer's Note: We have been accused of "picking on" Secretary of State Rice. This is the issue: In July 2006 the U.S. Secretary of State was scheduled to go to Vietnam. She cancelled that trip but did go to the ASEAN conference in Malaysia where she did play the piano. We care about Vietnam for many reasons; not the least of which is that the Communist government has been holding an American citizen, Mrs. Thuong N. "Cuc" Foshee, without charges, medical care or legal council for over a year. The president is supposed to go to Vietnam in November and Vietnam is awaiting word on entry into the World Trade Organization and receipt of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with the U.S. We would hope that the government of the United States could encourage the release of Mrs. Foshee without delay.
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