The junta has set things up to give it an edge in the vote, but some factors are beyond its control.
Dr. Zachary Abuza is a professor at the National War College in Washington where he focuses on Southeast Asian politics and security issues, including governance, insurgencies, democratization and human rights, and maritime security.
He is the author of five books, including Conspiracy of Silence: The Insurgency in Southern Thailand (2008), Political Islam and Violence in Indonesia (2006), Militant Islam in Southeast Asia (2003), and Renovating Politics in Contemporary Vietnam (2001). His latest book, Forging Peace in Southeast Asia: Insurgencies, Peace Processes, and Reconciliation, is a comparative analysis of the peace processes in Aceh, Mindanao, and southern Thailand (2016).
In addition, he has authored four monographs on security issues in Southeast Asia, as well as a major survey on the media and civil society in Vietnam for the National Endowment for Democracy.
