When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, free market fundamentalists crowed that it was the end of central planning and the triumphalism of their philosophy.
If I were Thaksin, I would be patient and stay put for a while. His time will come. Consider Juan Peron, three times president of Argentina. Peron took his first term in 1946.
IF YOU have been following the news lately you may have observed that the term used for the consequences of 2007-2008's world financial crisis is "A Great Recession". I would like to go one better and say that this is "A Great Depression" that will be most felt in the United States. It may seem a little extreme, but make no mistake, the US is in a depression. Let me explain why.
What you hear from both the red-shirt leaders and the government leading up to the "red march" this weekend can be taken with a grain of salt. Both sides are bluffing their way to "D-Day" so they can win hearts from the undecided in Bangkok and around the country.
I fully respect the Supreme Court's decision on Thaksin's assets-seizure case - yet millions do not, including those who argue that Thaksin is the victim of double standards, and that though he may have been corrupt, his heart is with the common man.
IF the whole country was this nervous when the Thai Rak Thai Party and People Power Party were dissolved, I can't recall it. Were there bomb explosions? Were there threats on judges' lives? Did we have sleepless nights fearing a civil war? After all, weren't those two incidents supposed to be the worst thing that could ever happen to democracy?
We all know there is a drought affecting all of Southeast Asia. The issue is not whether there's also drought in Yunnan, the issue is one country taking far more [water] than its share.
The recent financial crisis saw a global syncronised boom turned into a syncronised bust. It was partly fuelled by excessive credit growth and low costs for risk takers. Mercantilist North Asian economies such as China, Japan and South Korea pursued cheap-currency and full-employment policies while the monetary marvels of the West gladly supplied a loose lubricant for a deflationary environment.
THAKSIN Shinawatra's final battle, based on his megalomaniacal ambition to regain political power and seized assets, continues to cause concern among city people whose livelihoods could be disrupted for a week, if not longer, with the possibility of violence in the streets.
THE NORTH is disappearing under haze. Officials are pleading with hill farmers to start fewer fires, and the government is trying to persuade neighbouring countries to cooperate. The Mekong River is lower than most people can ever remember.
WHERE ON EARTH does the mere mention of the name "Bangkok" bring a breath of fresh air or a smiling face? Again, which country has a common history with Thailand that dates back thousands of years? Can you name a country that can be a democratic force for Asean along with Thailand?
As a Thai who wishes for a prosperous future for Thai rice, I believe it should be traded at a much higher price than the set quota. After keeping up with reports in recent months, I could not help feeling frustrated about why it was so hard for the world's largest rice exporter to get serious about how to find the best way to sell the grain.
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