Deja Coup: Thais see dark reflection in failed American insurrection

Though crowds storming a government seat of power are all too familiar to Thailand – it happened in Bangkok just before the last coup d’etat – this morning’s shocking scenes of violent insurrection at the U.S. capitol stunned many.

While members of the public reacted with dismay to a familiar scene unfolding in the nation that most epitomizes democracy, those who study politics credited the insurrection’s failure to the integrity of key figures and strength of its institutions.

“Trump’s attempted coup is a disgrace,” political scientist Prajak Kongkeerati tweeted. “Fortunately, unlike Thailand, the army, the courts, and the establishment are not on his side.”

Some likened the MAGA hordes who attempted to seize the capitol, where lawmakers were meeting to confirm Trump’s loss, to the same reactionary elements at home, extending the same…