Voters in Thailand may have cast their ballots in favor of the ruling military junta's draft constitution, but the junta's win may signal public exhaustion after two years of military rule rather than an expression of political support, says CFR's Karen Brooks in a written interview. "The passage of this charter represents a considerable step backward in Thailand's democratic development," she says. The new constitution may bring fresh stability to Thailand, but it permanently enshrines a government role for the armed forces and "comes at the expense of deteriorating standards on human rights and basic democratic freedoms," says Brooks.
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