Showing 71 - 80 of 92
Combatting corruption starts at the top
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 03/02/2017
» There is something fundamentally similar and entwined about the need to tackle Thailand's endemic corruption and the imperative to reform its education. Education reforms and corruption eradication appear to be the two highest policy and social priorities over the decades but they have made little headway. In view of recent international assessments, Thai education has fallen even farther behind compared to recent years. Similarly, according to Thailand's declining ranking in international indexes such as that of Transparency International, the scourge of corruption in this country has deepened.
Thailand's law of graft and government longevity
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 23/09/2016
» After a surprisingly successful referendum on its preferred draft constitution, the military government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha appears on course for relatively smooth sailing for the next 15 months or so in the run-up to the next poll. The only two potential show stoppers on the government's path are the royal transition and self-inflicted abuse of power. The former is a process that is difficult for Thais to fathom after a 70-year reign that has turned Thailand from a backwater village to a modern nation. The latter, however, is all too familiar.
Aftermath of Thailand's failed UNSC bid
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/07/2016
» Thais generally want Thailand to do well anywhere. When it comes to sports, for example, we have even learned the rules of volleyball to support our women's national team, which has shot up from nowhere to be in the global top 10. But when it comes to diplomacy, where Thailand used to be world class, local cheering recently has not led to international results.
Post-Obama America's 'rebalance' to Asia
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/06/2016
» As the United States' presidential election kicks into higher gear with the upcoming nominations of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as the Democratic and Republican party candidates vying for top office, Asian countries, and Asean in particular, are concerned about what will happen to outgoing President Barack Obama's "rebalance" (also known as the "pivot") strategy to Asia. The "rebalance" is likely to be a lasting legacy of President Obama's foreign policy accomplishments. It has provided Asian countries from Myanmar and Vietnam to the Philippines with a counterbalance to China's increasing regional footprints. But the future of the rebalance hangs in the balance.
The passing of Banharn put in perspective
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 29/04/2016
» The passing of former prime minister Banharn Silpa-archa is cause for reflection of where Thai politics has been and where it is going. By definition, as a former Thai premier, Banharn was a very important person. Yet the praise being heaped on him by many, including leaders of the current government, for his achievements and ostensibly glowing legacy, are both superficial and hypocritical.
China's 'water grab' and its consequences
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 25/03/2016
» China's pattern of regional conduct has come increasingly into focus. It is much less about maintaining the way things have been -- otherwise known as the "status quo" -- and much more about revising the established dynamics and contours in the region to its preferences.
Punishment, crime and justice in Thailand
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 04/03/2016
» Thailand's political polarisation knows no bounds. The raging controversy over media personality Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda's criminal conviction is merely the latest manifestation of a morality war being waged in Thai politics over the past decade between the rightful and the righteous for the country's future power and soul. While it does not seem that way on the surface in Sorrayuth's case, closer scrutiny indicates otherwise. The case also instructs us that such polarisation is no good for Thailand, that middle and third ways are still the only pathway out of the country's holding position.
Seeing politics via the Chuvit phenomenon
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 09/10/2015
» As Thailand's popular rule is in deep freeze under an undisguised military dictatorship, few dare to speak out for fear of intimidation and temporary detention. One exception for all Thailand watchers to follow is Chuvit Kamolvisit. What he has been saying speaks volumes about the current state of Thai politics.
Semantics and Thailand's political divide
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 25/09/2015
» Language can be about power as much as communication. It can tear societies apart or bring them together, depending on its design and application.
Discipline key to avoiding financial crisis
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/07/2015
» Without exception, financial blow-ups require commensurate bailouts. The stories across global financial crises are fundamentally similar, and the ensuing blame game the same, from Greece's ongoing turmoil to Thailand's implosion almost two decades ago. Notwithstanding countless post-mortems so far and those on the way, the inescapable and essential lessons from the Greek debacle are simple: Beware of indebtedness, and incur debt with discipline.