An outspoken Washington neo-conservative, who predicted in 2002 that Iraq would be 'a cakewalk', is spearheading an aggressive campaign to discredit Thailand's use of compulsory licences for branded pharmaceuticals.
Kenneth Adelman, a public relations executive whose clients include drugmaker Abbott Laboratories, is the public face of USA For Innovation, a non-profit group that seeks to defend US intellectual property from 'thieves'.
In full-page advertisements in The Wall Street Journal and newspapers in Bangkok, the group has lambasted Thailand's military-backed government for expropriating valuable patents and 'stealing American assets for military benefits'.
Mr Adelman, who describes Thailand as a member of 'an axis of IP evil', has launched a new website called thaimyths.com, which attacks Thai Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla for his policies on drug patents.
Among the so-called myths it seeks to deflate are the legality of what Thailand has done, its motivation for overriding patents, and its ability to pay for branded medicines. It also claims that Thailand spends far less on public health than countries of equivalent economic size, such as Argentina.
The campaign has provoked predictable outrage from Thai Aids activists and stung nationalists with its belittling tone. Some also criticised local newspapers for accepting USA For Innovation's money.