Showing 71 - 80 of 107
Obama's Asian pivot faces uncertain fate
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 02/12/2016
» As President-elect Donald Trump continues to stir up a hornet's nest in Washington and elsewhere in America, the outgoing and lame-duck presidency of Barack Obama looks spent, its foreign policy agenda at risk of reversal and dismantlement. This is a pity because Mr Obama had his heart in the right places. He tried to make the world a better place but ultimately fell short.
Will Asia-Pacific tensions lead to conflict?
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 26/08/2016
» There is now a consensus among practitioners and analysts alike that the rules and institutions that have governed international affairs so effectively since the end of World War II are increasingly dysfunctional or altogether malfunctioning. This alarming phenomenon is broadly referred to as the "unravelling" and "disorder" of the global system. It afflicts the world trading system, featuring elusive multilateral agreements, and the international financial system, beset with regular bouts of crisis and disruptions.
Mekong mainland coalesces after Asean rift
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 29/07/2016
» Although it was established 49 years ago, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as we know it has been around only since 1999 when Cambodia joined Southeast Asia's premier regional organisation as its 10th member state after Laos and Myanmar had entered two years earlier. Asean was originally set up on different rationales and for different purposes than what it has become today as a loosely structured grouping of a diplomatic community with ambitious regionalisation plans that require a central strategic role in Asia.
'New normal' after South China Sea ruling
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 15/07/2016
» However the Philippines-China verdict is viewed and whatever its immediate consequences, the landmark ruling by the dispute-settling Arbitral Tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea will bring about a "new normal" in Southeast Asia that portends more regional tensions and potential conflict in the longer term. This "new normal" means that the status quo ex ante prior to Philippines' recourse to the Tribunal in January 2013 will not be restored.
17,410,742 Britons versus the world
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 01/07/2016
» Thailand's recent habit of rejecting voter results through denial, manipulation and contrivance is apparently a global phenomenon. When it comes to the United Kingdom's spectacular referendum decision to leave the European Union, popularly known as "Brexit", the court of world public opinion does not like what it sees. Global critics have lamented and opined widely against Brexit voters, who numbered 17,410,742, representing a 51.89% overall majority from nearly a 72% turnout. But in many ways, Brexit may just be the wake-up call that the EU sorely needs. Making the best of Brexit should now be the task at hand rather than its reversal.
Thailand lags as Myanmar gains ground
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 22/04/2016
» Few next-door neighbours have moved so far in an opposite political direction than Thailand and Myanmar, also known as Burma. After more than half a century of military dictatorship from 1962, Myanmar has returned to democratic rule with a free and fair election last November and now a civilian-led government under Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Can we have 'Premocracy 2.0' in the 2010s?
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 01/04/2016
» As preparations are under way for Thailand's second-ever referendum on Aug 7, the completed draft constitution will now be dissected and digested in myriad ways, although public reactions and views will be constrained by the military-backed authorities. Because of a lack of public input and feedback for what is supposed to be a charter for the Thai people, tensions will likely mount ahead of the referendum, marked by the military government's escalating repression.
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.
The return of constitutional blackmail
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 05/02/2016
» While the second draft constitution is thoroughly dissected and digested in the weeks ahead, for all of its anti-corruption strengths and anti-democratic shortcomings, its broad contours are clear. The current draft that is being set up for a referendum this July builds on its precursor from 2007 in restricting and rolling back the democratic direction of the 1997 constitution, harking back to earlier versions from 1978 and 1991. There is constitutional continuity in Thailand's charter drafting -- but it is going back in time in a democratic regression.
Myanmar in Aung San Suu Kyi's hands
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 04/12/2015
» After her massive electoral sweep of more than 80% of legislative seats on Nov 8, Aung San Suu Kyi now stands at a crossroads between her country's past and future amid her own leadership aspirations.