Ed Krayewski on What Protests in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Thailand Have in Common
Government problems
It's the winter of their discontent from Venezuela to Ukraine to Thailand, whose respective governments have all faced opposition demonstrations that in recent weeks have turned violent, seeing protesters killed in all three countries. To varying extents, each of these countries has democratically elected governments. And in each case, those governments, rather than working to do their best to represent all people, have demonized and alienated the opposition, claiming their slim margins of victories as mandates to act in any way they please. The root problem in each country, writes Ed Krayewski, is unaccountable government, an outgrowth of the attitude that a mere democratic majority suffices to permit the government to do anything it wants under the guise of having a popular mandate for it.