Thailand has a beloved king. The country has had one of the more prosperous economies in Asia. It's a magnet for Western tourists. It's history is largely peaceful. By most measures, Thailand has been very successful, particularly in recent decades.
So why has the country now had a dozen coups, plus many more attempted coups, since it ended centuries of absolute monarchy and became a constitutional monarchy in 1932?
The country is so coup-prone that Wednesday's military takeover marked the second time in eight years the armed forces have ousted a leader from the same family.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was deposed Wednesday, suffered the same fate as her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in 2006. Both were considered political outsiders and viewed by suspicion by the Thai establishment, including the military.
There are even websites that debate exactly how many actual and attempted coups Thailand has had. Answer: Somewhere between 20 to 30.
The country might have been subjected to even more coups if not for the fact that the military has ruled for extended periods. For example, the military took over from a civilian government in 1947 and remained in power until 1973.
Thailand's propensity for coups stems largely from the fact that the military has always played a leading role in politics and democracy has never really taken root.
When Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha declared martial law on Tuesday, he cited the Martial Law Act of 1914 that gives the armed forces "superior power" during times of crisis.
The military also claimed Tuesday that this was not a coup, a pronouncement greeted with instant skepticism. Sure enough, a coup came two days later.
Still, in this case, as in the past, the military argues that it is acting within Thai law and tradition. The military is once again claiming that its goal is to restore stability and not to take the country in a radically different direction.
The army intervened this time after six months of political girdlock and street protests involving supporters and opponents of Prime Minister Shinawatra.
The very notion of a coup tends to bring to mind a weak, impoverished, dysfunctional state. Many African nations and Latin American countries were plagued by coups in years past. And military takeovers can sometimes involve deep ideological struggles, with a right-wing military forcing out a left-wing leader.
Yet in Thailand, these general features tend not to hold. Rather, Thai coups seem to have their own distinctive traits.
The king is a stabilizing force: No matter how much Thai politicians quarrel among themselves, or with the military, no one criticizes King Bhumibol Adulyadej. His elevated status has allowed him to largely stand above the recurring crises and help resolve them by encouraging the rival factions to work out their differences.
But the monarch is now 86 and frail and his son, the crown prince, is much less popular, raising questions about how these events will play out in the future.
They are usually bloodless: As with many previous coups, Wednesday's takeover occurred without a shot being fired. The military is by far the most powerful force in the country and can seize power without any serious challenge.
Thailand's unrest this time and in the past has not escalated to the level of widespread violence, let alone civil war. One exception was in 1976 when right-wing paramilitary groups killed dozens of university students in Bangkok.
The military hands back power: The Thai military does many of the usual things that armies do when they seize power. They ban or restrict public gatherings, carry out searches and detain suspects. Television channels were cut off Wednesday, except for a screen shot that included a bad English translation from the "National Peace and Order Maintaining Council."
The expectation is that the military will call the shots until it feels the country is ready for civilian politicians to take over again.
But this time, as in the past, no one knows exactly when that will be.
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