That stayed in effect until February 2007, under the argument that it was necessary to preserve peace. Leaders in the military junta that orchestrated the takeover argued that they had no choice in the coup, that it was the only way to take back control of the government from a power-hungry tycoon (Kampf, 2007). The reality of the situation, however, is that within a democratic government there are other ways to produce political change. Despite any faults that were extant within Shinawatra's government, they should have been addressed and debated through the appropriate democratic channels. Before the coup, Thailand boasted one of the most stable and healthy democracies in the region. There had been no coups since 1991, in a nation once famous for them. A progressive, democratic constitution was adopted in 1997, and Thailand was even able to weather the economic crisis that plagued Asia in the late 1990s (Kampf, 2007). If there was any legitimacy to the charges that Shinawatra's government was corrupt or that he was simply power-hungry, they could have been argued within the democratic system. His critics could have debated him in public and called for changes to the government through the voting public. The fact that they did not do this only undermines the position of the military junta that their actions were justified.

His populist positions on politics in the nation and liberal political philosophy earned him significant respect and admiration both from his constituents as well as from the international community. However, the authority and legitimacy that the democratic government garnered during his tenure as prime minister stood as a direct threat to the military and to the monarchy. His critics were vocal, but unwilling to debate his politics and decisions in the public forum. The democratic government that had been created with the adoption of a new constitution in 1997 became stronger everyday that Shinawatra remained in office, proving that the voting public could decide their own leaders. The military coup that began in September 2006 shattered the stability of democracy in Thailand and, to some degree, in all of Southeast Asia. Shinawatra's democratic government represented the best hope for a democratic future for the country, a future now imperiled by a military power-grab.