A tentative truce in Thailand

EVEN if it sounds like a coup and looks like a coup, it is not really a coup. Or at least that's what the Thai military would like the world to believe.

There may be reason to buy their argument, at least for now. For starters, the military, which enforced martial law in Thailand on Tuesday morning, has thus far not replaced the government, allowing it to continue to exist and function. Nor has the military taken sides with any specific party or faction: neither the anti-government protesters nor the pro-establishment supporters.

But the real motive behind the unexpected imposition of martial law - even the government was apparently kept in the dark - will unravel in the coming days as the military takes its next steps.