Ed Krayewski on What Protests in Venezuela, Ukraine, and Thailand Have in Common

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.

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