<div> <div>The Thai right-wing political elite has raged at the US Ambassador after he publicly shamed the Thai Foreign Minister last Thursday. The right wing has also used nationalist discourse to gain public support to oust the Ambassador, saying that the lèse majesté law makes Thailand more civilized than the US. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>On Thursday, 12 May 2016, Glyn T. </div></div>

<p>The presidential candidacy campaigns are heating up in the United States. While the world hears so much about different campaigns to tackle domestic issues, little has been said about the US position in the promotion of democracy on the international stage. In the context of Southeast Asia, the role of the United States in supporting democratization process is crucial; yet it continues to be obscured.</p> <p><img alt="" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1639/24967559496_7ba63b018c.jpg" /></p>

<p>Kristie Kenney, US Ambassador to Bangkok, gave a farewell to Thailand and is on her way back to Washington DC. She was in this position for much longer than the normal term of 3 years, raising a question if there might be problems within the US internal politics. But Thailand is not the only country where the US diplomatic mission will be without its ambassador. The vacancy in such an important position could be detrimental to the US foreign policy at this critical time in international politics.</p> <p></p>