, Columnist
Thailand Needs to Break Free From Its Political Doom Loop
Democratic duty.
Photographer: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
Thailand is falling behind its peers in Asia — and Sunday's election is unlikely to stop that slide.
Repeated coups, court interventions and short-lived governments have left a country that was once a regional powerhouse trailing competitors such as Vietnam. This isn’t due to a lack of talent or capital. It’s because the current system protects entrenched interests at the expense of long-term reforms. Politicians have repeatedly failed to deliver the remedies needed to lift growth and create jobs.