Historical Memory in Thailand and Guatemala

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: August 19, 2014

Guatemala and Thailand share a fascinating common history of repeated, violent military coups and heavy U.S. involvement as a result of the Cold War, creating a lingering distortion in each nation’s political culture

» Read More

Expecting More from Thailand

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: June 27, 2014

Last time there was a coup in Thailand, Western nations failed to support the democratic will of the Thai people. They shouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

» Read More

Robert Amsterdam on CNBC Squawk Box on Thailand

By Citizen M | Published: May 13, 2014

Last night Robert Amsterdam appeared on CNBC to discuss the recent political crisis in Thailand.

» Read More

Video: Speech to Red Shirt Rally in Thailand

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: April 7, 2014

This weekend I spoke via Skype to a rally of hundreds of thousands of Red Shirt activists in Bangkok, who had come out to show support for the elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra against the pending threat of her removal by a judicial coup. The video of the speech is below, with my […]

» Read More

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – April 2, 2014

By Citizen M | Published: April 2, 2014

TODAY: Bulgaria on high alert; Nato says no withdrawal of troops from Ukraine border; Russia warns Ukraine on Nato integration, Nato suspends cooperation with Russia; Kremlin says JPMorgan blocked embassy transfer; Kiselyov berates U.S. on television; Gazprom hikes Ukraine prices; pipeline to Crimea; government seeking to increase punishments for public gathering; VKontakte founder steps down. […]

» Read More

Thailand: The Plot Against Democracy

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: March 18, 2014

The purpose of the document is alert the international community to the grave risks faced by Thai citizens who may be subjected to an unlawful coup and removal of the elected prime minister. There are serious concerns of a repeat – or worse – of the 2010 massacres of protesters if another coup takes place, robbing tens of millions of people of their right to vote.

» Read More

Bo’s No-Show Trial

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: August 30, 2013

The recently concluded trial of former top party official Bo Xilai has offered us a unique glimpse inside the little-understood world of Chinese power politics.

» Read More

The Fog of War

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: August 28, 2013

For several days now we’ve been inundated with reports on whether or not Syria used chemical weapons on its own people, and if so, did such an order come down from the top or was it the actions of rogue officer? Caught this bit in a Foreign Policy piece on the interception of phone calls […]

» Read More

IPU Issues Historic Resolution on Thailand

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: April 2, 2013

Nearly three years after more than 90 pro-democracy protesters were killed by government forces on the streets of Bangkok, Thai Member of Parliament Jatuporn Prompran scored a major victory before a multilateral institution, shedding light on pervasive injustices in the country’s political system.

» Read More

Washington’s Asia Contradiction

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: January 25, 2013

In diplomacy, the rhetoric of good intentions often becomes burdensome, especially when the desired outcomes are opposite.  Such is the case with Washington’s Asia Pivot strategy. From The Diplomat:  If Washington isn’t comfortable with a more powerful China demanding a greater say over Asian security issues, making China wealthier by trading with it doesn’t make […]

» Read More